Gable Steveson is heading back to the Octagon fast. The 26-year-old said he is preparing for his sophomore UFC appearance against Sean Sharaf at Crypto.com UFC 331, a short turnaround that puts his move from wrestling into MMA back under the spotlight.
That is why his name is drawing searches now. Steveson fought Elisha Ellison at UFC 329 in July and won by first-round stoppage, then said the next step came quickly because he wanted to stay active and keep building. He has had only four MMA fights and five professional fights overall, yet he is already being lined up for another heavyweight bout on Saturday.
Steveson said the first fight went the way he wanted for a first night on a major stage. He said the lesson was not to get comfortable, to keep moving and to know when to get out and when to stay in. He also said he is trying to model parts of his game after Daniel Cormier, using forward pressure as a base while adding more choices once the exchanges start.
That is the push-and-pull in this run. Steveson is still building habits that most fighters spend years refining, but he is doing it against opponents who will not give him that much room. He said Jon “Bones” Jones was in his corner, and he said that kind of guidance is helping the process move faster than expected. Even so, he described the work as staying in the fire, learning what comes next and making the cage feel as natural as the mat has been for him in wrestling.
The next step is simple and unforgiving: Sean Sharaf on Saturday. If Steveson handles that test the way he believes he can, he said a ranked matchup could be waiting on the other side, which would make this rapid climb look less like a sprint and more like the start of a real heavyweight push.
