Steveson has the potential to redefine mixed martial arts.
The 26-year-old Olympic heavyweight wrestling gold medalist is set
to make his debut in the
Ultimate Fighting Championship at
UFC 329 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on July 11. Ahead of his
fight against Elisha
Ellison, his coach has hyped up what he’s capable of.
Gable
Steveson’s olympic wrestling background fuels UFC
expectations
Steveson won Olympic gold in heavyweight wrestling at the Tokyo
Games in August 2021 and subsequently flirted with the idea of
joining the UFC. He turned pro last year and, under the mentorship
of Jon
Jones, has extended his overall mixed martial arts record to
3-0, winning every fight via first-round finish.
Expectations are sky-high for Steveson as he prepares to make his
Octagon debut and coach Jackson believes the Olympian could emerge
as a transformational figure in the sport.
“I think, if you’re a fan, you’re gonna need to tune in to see what
can this guy do,” Jackson said about Steveson on the UFC 329
“Embedded” video series. “He already won the Olympic gold medal at
heavyweight in wrestling. That is so hard to do, I can’t even tell
you. Where is the ceiling? What can he accomplish? What can he
do?”
Jackson, who has coached some of UFC’s biggest names, including
Georges St.
Pierre, Rashad
Evans, Holly Holm,
and Jones, further said about Steveson, “I’ve worked with most of
the greatest fighters to ever do this game, and his athletic
ability is unprecedented… The way he thinks about things, how smart
he is, how coachable, you need to tune in now to see where the
ceiling for this guy is. He might be redefining what this sport
is.”
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