Before he’s thrown even one punch inside an octagon, the UFC expectations for Gable Steveson are off the charts – even from his own head coach.
Steveson, 26, makes his highly anticipated promotional debut Saturday at UFC 329 from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, where he’ll meet Elisha Ellison on the preliminary card (Paramount+). The fight figures to be a showcase opportunity for Steveson, who’s flirted with mixed martial arts since winning Olympic gold in heavyweight wrestling at the Tokyo Games in August 2021.
Steveson, who’s been mentored by former UFC two-division champion Jon Jones, finally turned pro in MMA last year after a stint in WWE, a failed attempt at making it in the NFL and finishing his college tenure at the University of Minnesota. He’s gotten off to a blistering 3-0 start, all three wins by first-round knockout.
That small sample size has his coach, Jackson-Wink MMA chief Greg Jackson, wondering just how far his pupil can take his career in MMA.
“I think, if you’re a fan, you’re gonna need to tune in to see what can this guy do,” Jackson said on UFC 329 “Embedded.” “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 has coached some of the sport’s greatest fighters, including Jones, Georges St-Pierre, Holly Holm, Rashad Evans, and more. When comparing Steveson to what he’s seen before, Jackson puts him on another level.
“I’ve worked with most of the greatest fighters to ever do this game, and his athletic ability is unprecedented,” Jackson said. “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.”
For his part, Steveson seems to be embracing the pressure and attention that comes with his UFC debut.
“I think what people could be excited about for my UFC debut is someone that’s new with new power, a new face, new speed, new techniques in the heavyweight division,” Steveson said. “This is probably not the usual heavyweight that you may see, the big and strong ones. This is the new and improved fast and quick ones that are gonna change the game, and it’s gonna start with me.”
