Gable Steveson (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
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Gable Steveson’s amateur wrestling career was phenomenal. His run as a WWE Superstar was not AJ Styles like.
Thanks to his release from the WWE, Steveson is reportedly exploring a good number of options for his next move, and appears to be pursuing a career as a mixed martial artist.
Steveson is reportedly ready to hop back into competition with elite athletes. According to Steveson is training with elite MMA trainer Henri Hooft and former UFC welterweight champion Robbie Lawler at Kill Cliff FC, per https://twitter.com/TonyLiebert/status/1788267111451877545?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1788267111451877545%7Ctwgr%5E7cd1f4d1e1294bf8bdf17164dbd557f73e261777%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fembedly.forbes.com%2Fwidgets%2Fmedia.html%3Ftype%3Dtext2Fhtmlkey%3D3ce26dc7e3454db5820ba084d28b4935schema%3Dtwitterurl%3Dhttps3A%2F%2Ftwitter.com%2FTonyLiebert%2Fstatus%2F1788267111451877545image%3D.
Here is a look at the clip from Wednesday’s show:
Steveson, 23, won gold in freestyle wrestling at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. He’s also a two-time Division 1 wrestling champion and three-time Big Ten champion from the University of Minnesota.
The pathway to MMA seems natural, but Steveson has multiple options per the clip. Steveson’s representation has been contacted by “multiple NFL teams” interested in giving him a look in training camp.
He could also pursue another year of collegiate wrestling, where NIL deals could put him in an excellent position to earn money while competing in the sport where he made his name.
That said, training with folks of Hooft and Lawler’s ilk would suggest a seriousness associated with his interest in MMA.
Steveson could probably compete at heavyweight or light heavyweight, and based on his elite wrestling chops and quick-twitch athleticism, he could almost instantly make an impact.
The UFC is the top mixed martial arts organization in the world, and the promotion is also under the TKO umbrella with WWE, so that is a viable landing spot.
However, hopping into competition in the UFC would effectively mean Steveson is climbing into the deep end of the pool at the start of his MMA career.
However, there is a blueprint that Steveson could follow if he does sign with the UFC. Fellow standout collegiate wrestler Bo Nickal had one pro MMA fight when he participated in Dana White’s Contender Series in August 2022.
Nearly two years later, Nickal is 6-0 as a professional, and he was just part of the main card for UFC 300, arguably the biggest MMA event in history.
Steveson is about two years younger than Nickal was when he started his pro MMA journey–at least from an official competition standpoint–so he might be placed on a slightly slower track.
In any case, there is apparently a path, and Nickal’s progress could encourage Steveson to take his professional career in this direction.
Steveson could also begin his career with the Professional Fighters League/Bellator, where he may not get the same attention early. Still, he could garner experience before jumping to the UFC.
This is the path another former Olympian, Kayla Harrison, just took as she made a triumphant promotional debut on the same UFC 300 show.
Having Steveson in the MMA mix is exciting, but we’re likely early. However, it is an interesting story to watch for the remainder of the year.
