Olympic gold medalist Gable Steveson signs with UFC, set for debut in July
Controversial former Olympic gold medalist Gable Steveson has signed a deal to continue his mixed martial arts career in the UFC octagon. The news was announced during the UFC 327 broadcast on Saturday.
Steveson won gold in freestyle wrestling at the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo while a member of the Minnesota Golden Gophers collegiate team. Steveson is reportedly looking to capitalize on his fame by signing with WWE in 2021 to pursue a professional wrestling career. He will continue his amateur career with Minnesota, winning the 2022 NCAA Division I championship. During his time in Minnesota, Steveson was briefly suspended after he and a teammate were arrested on suspicion of sexual assault.
Steveson retired from amateur wrestling as a two-time national champion and three-time Big Ten Conference champion before returning to Minnesota in 2024 after being released from his WWE contract earlier in the year. He would lose to Wyatt Hendrickson in the national championship match in a shocking upset.
Also in 2024, Steveson attempted to transition to a professional football career, signing a three-year contract with the Buffalo Bills in May before being released by the team in August.
Steveson has always been considered an elite prospect should he transition to mixed martial arts. Steveson has lived up to expectations thus far in his career with a 3-0 record, with all three victories coming via third-round stoppage. Steveson also competed in the Dirty Boxing Championship, where he scored a 15-second stoppage.
The training partner of Jon Jones, Steveson enters the UFC with elite wrestling experience and a rapidly improving striking game.
