April 12, 2026
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MMA, UFC
This past Saturday (April 11), the UFC announced the signing of Olympic champion Gable Steveson during the UFC 327 broadcast.
While the announcement made headlines across the MMA and wrestling communities, it was one that many fans had seen coming ever since Steveson launched his MMA career in 2025. For most observers, it was never a question of if the 25-year-old would fight in the UFC — only when.
Steveson was a two-time national champion and four-time All-American at the University of Minnesota. He won Olympic gold at the 2020 Tokyo Games in freestyle wrestling in dramatic fashion, coming from behind late to stun Georgia's Geno Petriashvili.
After his run to Olympic gold, Steveson signed with WWE and pursued a professional wrestling career. He made TV appearances at SummerSlam and WrestleMania shortly after signing but did not make his in-ring TV debut until July 2023, where he had a double count-out draw against Baron Corbin. His performance was not well received by fans, and many in attendance booed. Less than a year later, on May 4, 2024, WWE released him.
After the WWE, Steveson pursued professional football in 2024 — despite never having played competitive football. He admitted he had never even worn football cleats before a tryout with the Buffalo Bills. The Bills, coached at the time by former high school standout wrestler Sean McDermott, liked what they saw and signed Steveson to a non-guaranteed rookie contract. He appeared in three preseason games as a defensive lineman before being released.
Shortly after his release from the Bills, UFC champion Jon Jones — a former light heavyweight and heavyweight world champion — reached out to Steveson about joining his fight team as a training partner. Steveson agreed, with Jones preparing for a fight against former champion Stipe Miocic at UFC 309 in November 2024.
After Jones knocked out Miocic in the third round, he spoke openly about his new training partner.
"I kneed [Gable] in the face at one of his very first practices," Jones said at the post-fight press conference. "He ate it, and he looked like a little kid who had just found a new toy. He's going to be scary. He's going to be very scary when he decides to do MMA. He knows how to make men appear very weak, me being one of them."
In December 2024, MatBoss sat down with Steveson at the MatBoss Minnesota Christmas Tournament in Rochester, Minnesota, for an exclusive interview. When asked about training with Jones and a potential MMA career, Steveson told Tyler Hemmesch of MatBoss, "I think there is maybe a future in the UFC. [Training with Jon Jones] was eye-opening, just being with one of the best."
After finishing his college wrestling career in March 2025, Steveson made it official — transitioning to MMA with Jones as his coach and mentor.
MMA Debut — LFA 217 (September 2025)
Steveson made his long-awaited MMA debut against Braden Peterson at LFA 217. The Olympic champion was dominant from the opening seconds, shooting a single leg within the first 15 seconds to take Peterson to the mat. After securing half guard and landing elbows, Steveson unleashed a barrage of punches before the referee stopped the fight at 98 seconds.
After the win, Jones offered his assessment: "He's a freak athlete. He's incredibly fast. He's powerful. He's intelligent. He has the work ethic and he's shown our team — Greg Jackson, Brandon Gibson and I — that he's willing to humble himself and surround himself with the best. I think he has the perfect formula to go all the way to the top and some."
Dirty Boxing Championship — Nashville (October 2025)
While waiting to be booked for his second MMA fight, Steveson competed in a striking promotion called Dirty Boxing Championship in Nashville, Tennessee. He needed just 15 seconds to knock out Billy Swanson in devastating fashion.
Fight 2 — Anthony Pettis FC 21 (November 2025)
Steveson's second MMA fight came against Kevin Hein on Nov. 23 at Anthony Pettis FC 21 in Albuquerque, New Mexico. He knocked out Hein in just 24 seconds.
Fight 3 — Mexico Fight League 3 (February 2026)
On Feb. 19, Steveson improved to 3-0 with a first-round TKO over Hugo Lezama in the main event of Mexico Fight League 3 in Monterrey, Mexico. It was his longest fight to date, but Steveson was dominant throughout, showcasing world-class wrestling and noticeably improved striking.
In late March, Steveson signed a three-match contract with Real American Freestyle (RAF), a professional wrestling league that launched last year and has attracted some of the world's most accomplished freestyle wrestlers along with past and present MMA standouts. He's scheduled to make his RAF debut against Alexandr Romanov — a Moldovan wrestler and MMA fighter — on May 30.
This past Saturday night, during Paramount+'s broadcast of UFC 327, the camera panned to Steveson sitting ringside next to Jon Jones. UFC commentator Jon Anik made it official: "We are happy to announce at this time Gable Steveson has been signed by the UFC. He will make his debut at International Fight Week July 11 in Las Vegas."
The date and venue are set, but an opponent has not yet been announced — though one is expected soon.
The day after the signing was revealed, online sportsbook BetOnline posted odds on potential opponents. The current betting favorite is Marcin Tybura, a 40-year-old Polish fighter with a 27-11 record coming off two straight losses. Other names on the board include Serghei Spivac, Tai Tuivasa, Mick Parkin, Thomas Petersen, and Tallison Teixeira — though the actual opponent may not be among the 11 listed.
Given Steveson's star power and relative inexperience in MMA, it seems likely the UFC will look to build him up against unranked or lower-ranked opponents before matching him with top contenders.
UFC veteran Curtis Blaydes — himself a past NJCAA national champion wrestler — was asked about Steveson after fighting on the UFC 327 card. Blaydes was complimentary but measured: "I don't want him to be overly rushed and get exposed in the UFC. I guess he believes he's ready, so who knows better than he does? If he believes it, then all power to him."
