Jones Sees MMA Potential in Gable Steveson
After Jon Jones defeated Stipe Miocic at UFC 309 on November 16, 2024, he praised Gable Steveson, the Olympic wrestling champion who had helped him prepare for the fight. Jones predicted Steveson would be “very scary” if he chose to pursue MMA. Steveson later made that move, and his path has included both early wins and a setback in the UFC.
The 2024 prediction
Steveson won the 125-kilogram freestyle wrestling gold medal at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics and was a two-time NCAA champion for the University of Minnesota. During Jones’s post-fight news conference, Jones said Steveson had made experienced training partners feel weak with his wrestling and strength. Steveson had also tried professional football with the Buffalo Bills and professional wrestling with WWE before entering MMA. The Star Tribune covered Jones’s comments after UFC 309.
What happened next
Steveson made his professional MMA debut in 2025 and joined the UFC the following year. He won his UFC debut against Elisha Ellison by first-round TKO at UFC 329 in July 2026. At UFC 331 on September 19, Sean Sharaf knocked him out 12 seconds into the first round, handing Steveson his first professional loss. The UFC athlete page lists Steveson’s record and recent fights; the UFC 331 results recap records Sharaf’s win.
Jones’s 2024 praise was a prediction about potential, not a guarantee of success. Steveson’s quick finish in his UFC debut showed why his wrestling background attracted attention, while the loss to Sharaf is a reminder that translating elite wrestling into MMA takes more than one skill. His development will be judged by what he does in future fights.
How do you see Steveson’s MMA career developing from here?
