Jason Burgos
The UFC heavyweight division officially has a new super prospect in Olympic gold medalist Gable Steveson.
On Saturday night at UFC 329, one of the most talented prospects to ever compete inside the Octagon made his promotional debut when two-time NCAA DI champion Steveson fought on the evening’s preliminary card. Heading into the bout, there was a ton of hype about the potential of the 26-year-old. Well, he delivered on Saturday night, and emphatically.
Despite opponent Elisha Ellison having four more fights on his resume, he was obviously outmatched by the world-class athlete. However, instead of using his elite wrestling gifts, Steveson continued the trend of standing up and striking with his opponents. At times, the American put himself in danger as he waded in with big shots and left his hands low. But it didn’t matter because his speed and power advantages were too much for Ellison to handle.
After smacking around his foe for the first couple of minutes of Round 1, Steveson eventually scored with some big knees and haymakers to drop Ellison and compel referee Mark Goddard to step in and end the punishment. It was another special performance for the now 4-0 prospect because he did not go for a takedown once and got his hand raised by outstriking a more experienced opponent.
Despite limited fighting experience and coming from a sport without striking, Steveson’s hands continue to look dangerous, but he is also showing continued growth in his kicks. His front kicks proved valuable throughout his win at UFC 329.
After exhausting most of his options in freestyle wrestling, Steveson tried to make the transition to pro wrestling when he signed a developmental deal with WWE in 2021. However, he changed his mind and left pro wrestling behind three years later. He made the switch to MMA last year and has scored first-round knockouts in all four of his cage fighting bouts.
