After months of waiting, Gable Steveson has finally signed with UFC.
Last year, in September 2025, the Olympic gold medalist made his MMA debut following a transition from a successful wrestling career. A storied wrestling career, Steveson won gold at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics before also experiencing a brief WWE run.
Shortly after his UFC signing announcement, it was also shared that he will make his UFC debut on International Fight Week at UFC 329.
The UFC 329 is scheduled to take place on July 11, 2026, where UFC veteran Conor McGregor is also being targeted to make his comeback.
“Heavyweight got interesting tonight. With Gable coming to the UFC, that is absolutely huge, that guy is my number one prospect in the heavyweight division, he is a tremendous athlete, moves like a cat, that guy is the man, I’m very excited to see him in the UFC,” Joe Rogan said during the broadcast.
3-0 in his MMA career, Steveson currently trains with UFC veteran Jon Jones and sat with him during UFC 327. Steveson’s list of achievements includes two national championships, two Dan Hodge Trophy wins, five All-American honors, an Olympic gold medal, and multiple other International medals. He is also signed to the Heavyweight division of RAF (Real American Freestyle).
Gable Steveson, the Olympic gold medalist who had a short stint in WWE NXT, has inked a deal with Real American Freestyle Wrestling.
It was announced on The Ariel Helwani Show today that Steveson will make his RAF debut in Dallas, Texas on May 30. Steveson has signed a multi-match deal with the organization, which was founded in 2025 and features Eric Bischoff as one of the public faces. The freestyle wrestling organization airs its events on the Fox Nation streaming service.
Breaking: Gable Stevenson has signed a multi-match deal with @RAFWrestlingUSA.
He will make his debut at RAF09 on May 30 in Dallas, Texas, on @foxnation.
Helwani said an opponent for Steveson’s debut is not known yet. It won’t be his first matchup, but RAF is building toward a Steveson vs. Wyatt Hendrickson rematch after Hendrickson upset Steveson in the NCAA finals last year.
In addition to this RAF deal, Steveson has been focused on MMA with the aim of breaking into the UFC. Undefeated in the fights he’s had so far, there was speculation about a potential UFC debut at this summer’s White House event, but Steveson is not part of the card.
A high-profile addition to WWE in 2021, Steveson’s career in pro wrestling did not end up panning out. He only had one official WWE match outside of house shows and dark matches. He later attempted to make it into the NFL with the Buffalo Bills.
Gable Steveson has picked up another mixed martial arts victory.
The Olympic gold medalist and two-time NCAA champion defeated Hugo Lezama in the main event of Mexican Fight League 3, which took place on Thursday, February 19 at the Showcenter Complex in Monterrey, Mexico.
Steveson picked up the victory at 3:50 of the first round via TKO. He did suffer some adversity during the fight, however, when Lezama made contact with a head kick at 1:30 of the first round.
Steveson now holds a 3-0 record in his MMA career. He defeated Braden Peterson at 1:38 of the first round on September 12, 2025, and Kevin Hein at 0:24 of the first round on November 23, 2025. In addition to his MMA bouts, he also defeated Billy Swanson at 0:15 of the first round in a Dirty Boxing event held on October 30, 2025.
The full Mexican Fight League 3 card has been posted to YouTube. The video below is queued to Steveson’s fight.
*The changes in the WrestleMania plans, the Drew McIntyre title win, Roman Reigns return and the whys.
*WWE getting Will Hobbs while AEW signs a slew of new talent as well. A look at each case-by-case.
*Notes on the big weekend coming to Mexico City
*Kayla Harrison injury and what is the future for the biggest women’s fight in years
*Win-loss records and total bouts for all top WWE/NXT talent in 2025
*WWE Iron Man winner from 1984-2025
*What cutting back on the schedule has taught us about injuries
*Who gets protected in booking and who doesn’t
*The problem with the current schedule and development of young talent
*A star who has been around through various eras talks timing and injuries and best schedule
*A look at TNA’s debut on AMC, what went right and wrong
*When did wrestling start being a work. Studying of history shows it’s a lot earlier than you would think
*Odds for WWE matches upcoming
*The most detailed look at the ratings of all the pro wrestling shows this past week, as well as comparisons with the past and a look at the level of declines and why
*What wrestler has already main evented 12 sold out shows in 2026
*One woman wrestler announces retirement and another retires
*Kazuchika Okada in Japan
*Most watched New Japan World matches of 2025
*Ted DiBiase Jr. on trial
*Death of Rick Link, from fan clubs to main events
*Jesse Ventura speaks about the current political environment
*The greatest wrestler in the world signs with Eric Bischoff’s promotionT
*Tons of major independent shows coming
*AEW gets TV in new market
*Ticket sales for upcoming WWE, AEW and TNA events
— Bryan and I will be back tonight covering Raw and the latest wrestling news. We also have weekend shows covering the major events and a Friday show with Garrett Gonzales, Cory Lieb and Ethan Taylor where we go over the 2025 awards ballot.
— AJ Styles vs. Gunther in a match where if Styles doesn’t win he will retire has been added to the Royal Rumble.
— Je’Von Evans was injured and the match had to be stopped on Raw today against Grande Americano. Right now the belief is it wasn’t too bad, there was more fear of a concussion and he’s said to be fine and flying home.
— Some other notes from the show today. Grayson Waller beat Akira Tozawa and Lyra Valkyria beat Ivy Nile for Main Event. Bayley at ringside for the match was very over. Fans saw Gunther and Styles as real stars. The crowd was not hot for Becky Lynch’s promo or match. Jey Uso was Hulk Hogan in 1999. Every time he was shown on the screen he was booed, but when he came out in front of the crowd the place went crazy for him. Lots of chants of “He’s banned from Japan” directed at Logan Paul. Evans got a standing ovation after the injury stoppage.
Finn Balor and Rhea Ripley got the biggest live reactions. Fans booed all the Saudi Arabia and Royal Rumble videos and there were “you sold out” chants but they were light. They also booed Paul Levesque when shown in the Unreal footage. Punk got a superstar reaction but Balor got the biggest reaction on the show. Punk worked as a champion heel against local babyface star style Lou Thesz and Jack Briscoe did as world champion. The crowd cheered both after the show. He brought Balor back out after the show ended and said “Just one last thing, ‘Chicago is way louder.'” Balor called it the most memorable night of his career and said it was the first time in 15 years he was home for his mother’s birthday and the crowd sang Happy Birthday to his mother. (thanks to Neil McNerlan)
— The Academy Award nominations will be revealed on Thursday. I saw an article that gave Dwayne Johnson a 6.9 percent chance to be nominated for Best Actor in “Smashing Machine.”
— The movie “Night Patrol” which featured CM Punk opened this weekend with $194,016 on 800 screens. It was No. 25 in total box office but per screen it was last among the top 51 and most of those movies were not just released.
–The CMLL show from yesterday was taken off the site because during the Templario vs Bandido main event, when they were outside the ring, a fan got into the ring and it took a lot of security to get him out. Security was late and they didn’t cut away, maybe thinking it was an angle that they hadn’t been told about. The last thing CMLL, because their shows cater to tourists, wants are videos of a security issue or making it feel like going to Arena Mexico may be dangerous. There were a lot of fan videos that got out showing security struggling with the guy and finally taking him to the back.
— No titles ended up changing hands. Ricochet kept the National title over Titan. Lee Moriarty kept the ROH Pure title over Xelhua. There were no issues with ref Edgar Noriega and the rules, although fans were confused. Titan retained the CMLL welterweight title over Komander and Templario kept the CMLL middleweight title. Bandido did try and talk the guy out of coming to the ring but he was not allowed to physically stop him because they have a strict rule for fear of the idea that a wrestler got physical with a fan for the same reasons of wanting the clean image. Templario said he’d like to go to AEW or ROH so they may do a rematch as an ROH title match.
— A correction from yesterday. Hechicero wasn’t double booked. He was only booked in Monterrey and they announced he was injured. He hasn’t wrestled since his Friday match with Roderick Strong. He was limping at one point during the match that didn’t look like a sell nor was it that noticeable, but it was there.
— We’re looking for reports from last night’s WWE show in Nottingham, results, finishes and highlights to [email protected]
— The tour ended in Belfast today and they return to North America with the Friday night Smackdown show in Montreal.
— Bandido vs. Angel de Oro tonight in Puebla is sold out. Mascara Dorada & Atlantis Jr. & Xelhua vs. Yutani & Cavernario & Soberano Jr. and Ultimo Guerrero Volador Jr. vs. Gates of Agony is also on the show.
— There were a lot of great weekend matches. Ricochet vs. Titan was a super heated match that was more Best of the Super Juniors finals than a Lucha Libre match on Friday. I loved Lee Moriarty vs. Xelhua. It’s all matwork and submission exchanges, not for everyone but this crowd loved it. The Saturday crowd is more a hardcore wrestling crowd anyway.
— Gable Steveson faces Bud Sento heavyweight champion Hugo Lezama in an MMA fight on 2/19 for Mexico Fight League. People are already saying he would smash every heavyweight in UFC right now. Please, let’s wait until how he reacts when he gets punched, which hasn’t happened yet. He hasn’t faced one real fighter. As an athlete, sure he’s better than anyone, but there are many questions left to be answered.
— People all day have raved to me about the Tomohiro Ishii & Taichi vs. Yuya Uemura & Shota Umino main event at today’s Korakuen Hall show as well as the Hirooki Goto & Yoshi-Hashi & Oleg Boltin trios title win over Zack Sabre Jr. & Ryohei Oiwa & Hartley Jackson.
— TJP returned to WWE and worked the AAA show on Saturday. It will air in upcoming weeks. They taped three TV tapings on Saturday. They will air at 9 p.m. Eastern every Saturday night on YouTube. On Tubi in Mexico, they kept the show going long so fans could hear the audio (not see it) of the other shows being taped. The AAA YouTube stream for South America from FOX was taken down midshow because they mistakenly thought it was an illegal use of a copyrighted show when it was the actual legal feed.
— Alex Shelley is enrolling in Franklin University to get another degree (he has multiple degrees already) in exercise science. That’s the benefit of the current WWE schedule.
— Ted DiBiase Jr.’s trial is continuing for misappropriation of welfare funds in Mississippi. But he has already filed claiming a mistrial.
— Ron Killings (R-Truth) turns 54 today. Tyler Breeze turns 38. Wardlow turns 38. There will be a lot of talk tomorrow about Killings since his contract talks will be part of WWE Unreal, which debuts tomorrow. Jimmy Brawner, the original Kurt Von Brauner, was born on this day 101 years ago. Al Greene was born in 1928. Pat Patterson was born in 1941. Buck Robley was born in 1945. Bam Bam Bigelow died 19 years ago today at 45. (thanks to Tony Richards)
— Miyuu Yamamoto, a multi-time world champion amateur wrestler, who is the sister of Kid Yamamoto, signed for her pro boxing debut on 3/28 in Sydney. She is now 51. She started MMA at 42, way too late. She will do a six-round fight against Michlle Mack.
— CMLL announced a Fantastica Mania show with MLW on 4/12 in Charleston, SC at Festival Hall.
Gable Steveson discussed what led to him leaving WWE in a recent interview.
The Olympic gold medalist was released by WWE in May 2024 and has since racked up a 2-0 MMA record with wins in LFA and most recently APFC. He also picked up a knockout win in under 15 seconds for the Dirty Boxing promotion in October.
During a recent appearance on the Joe Rogan Experience, Steveson said he wasn’t giving WWE 100 percent of his focus because he still had a competitive drive.
Steveson said:
“Honestly, I had a great experience. I have nothing wrong with anybody there. TKO was great. ‘Triple H’ Paul Levesque was great, Stephanie, Vince, everybody was great.“
“I just had a competitive drive that I needed to get out. And so, you know when you have that gap there, you can’t do both. I was trying to bridge both, and I wasn’t giving my 100 percent to the business. And if I’m not going to give 100 percent to the business, then you might as well X me out because it’s already over with. That’s practically how it happened.”
“I would love to go back in the future,” Steveson added before Rogan mentioned he could go back to WWE after winning the UFC Heavyweight Championship.
“I would do it again most definitely because I have no hard feelings to them and that’s how it goes.”
The Olympic gold medalist was the first athlete WWE signed as part of its NIL deal in 2021. However, while he wrestled several times at NXT live events and in SmackDown dark matches, he only ever wrestled one match on WWE programming, a double count-out against Baron Corbin at NXT Great American Bash 2023.
Steveson’s comments about his time in WWE begin around the 15-minute and 30-second mark of the interview. The video below is cued.
It took less than 15 seconds for Olympic gold medalist Gable Steveson to win his boxing debut.
The former WWE NXT wrestler made quick work of his opponent on Thursday night, defeating Billy Swanson in an event put on by Dirty Boxing in Nashville, Tennessee. The full show streamed live on YouTube. A clip of Steveson’s knockout can be seen below:
Steveson, an elite amateur wrestler on the Olympic and collegiate stage, signed with WWE in 2021. His arrival received much hype and fanfare, but his pro wrestling career did not go as planned. His only televised match took place for NXT in 2023 and received poor reviews from fans.
After being released by WWE in 2024, Steveson attempted to make it into the NFL with the Buffalo Bills. He later returned to college wrestling and now has the goal of joining UFC. Steveson won his MMA debut for Legacy Fighting Alliance this September.
UFC executive Mick Maynard was in attendance at the Dirty Boxing event — and Steveson made an appeal to Maynard after winning his debut.
UFC matchmaker Mick Maynard was in attendance for Gable Steveson's first round knockout at #DBX4
“I think a special guest was here to come watch me,” Steveson said. “His name is Mick Maynard with UFC. And he’s right there. So, Mick, you’ve seen a little bit. I would love to show a lot more. And, man, hopefully you believe in me. And I appreciate you.”
Gable Steveson is set to debut with The Dirty Boxing Championship.
Steveson will face Billy Swanson in the main event of DBX 4 on October 30 at the Pinnacle in Nashville, Tennessee.
Steveson said in a press release announcing the fight:
“Every time I compete, I’m chasing growth. Boxing is a new challenge and DBX is the perfect stage to keep testing myself and showcase my evolution as a fighter.”
Jon Jones is co-owner of Dirty Boxing Championship and was also quoted in a press release announcing the event:
“Bringing Dirty Boxing to a new city is something we’ve been looking forward to since day one. Nashville’s grit, energy and reputation for spotlighting talent make it the perfect first stop as we expand across the country and eventually go international. This is history for DBX.”
Dirty Boxing Championship has a unique set of rules. Bouts are three rounds, with each round being three minutes. Championship fights are five rounds.
The official rules page for the organization states, “‘Dirty Boxing’ means unarmed combat involving the use of a combination of traditional boxing and other hand-striking techniques subject to any applicable limitations outlined in these rules and regulations and those prescribed by the presiding Regulatory Body and/or Commission.”
Earlier this month, Steveson won his pro MMA debut at LFA 217 at the Mystic Lake Casino Hotel in Prior Lake, Minnesota. With Jon Jones in his corner, Steveson dominated Braden Peterson and scored a TKO victory in just one minute and 38 seconds of the first round. The fight aired on UFC Fight Pass.
When Gable Steveson saw Dirty Boxing live at DBX2, he knew he had to get in the ring 🩸🔥
Now the Olympic Gold Medalist is set for his Dirty Boxing debut in the main event of DBX4 on October 30th in Nashville, Tennessee 🎶🥊
On October 30th, Music City becomes Fight City as Olympic Gold Medalist Gable Steveson debuts against the heavy-handed Billy Swanson in the DBX4 main event at The Pinnacle 🥊💥
Gable Steveson’s MMA career is off to a winning start.
The Olympic gold medalist made his MMA debut on Friday at LFA 217 at Mystic Lake Casino Hotel in Prior Lake, Minnesota. Jon Jones was in Steveson’s corner for his bout against Braden Peterson.
Steveson was dominant in the fight, which he won via TKO just 1 minute and 38 seconds into the first round. He took down Peterson with a single-leg early and kept up the pressure until the fight was finally stopped.
The show aired on UFC Fight Pass. Clips of the fight are available here and below.
The 25-year-old was released from WWE in May 2024 after first signing with the company in September 2021 in a deal that allowed him to continue wrestling at the University of Minnesota. Steveson was asked about his time in WWE during an interview last November, saying it “just wasn’t his time.”
“The WWE just wasn’t the right time. I had a lot of competitive edge in me, and they knew that, and it was not the time for it. So maybe one day, if the stars align, it’ll be a great opportunity to do it again. I have no bad feelings with it. I have no bad blood with it, and I would like to keep moving forward with everything I have going on.”
Gable Steveson MAULS Braden Peterson in the first round of his MMA debut.
LFA announced that the Olympic gold medalist and former WWE developmental talent would make his MMA debut against Braden Peterson at LFA 217. The event will take place at the Mystic Lake Casino Hotel on September 12 in Prior Lake, Minnesota and will stream on UFC Fight Pass.
In the past, Steveson has expressed interest in an MMA career. He’s previously been seen training with former UFC Champion Jon Jones.
Steveson won the gold medal in freestyle wrestling at the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, and the following year signed with the WWE. His first match didn’t take place until 2023, when he and Baron Corbin went to a no contest at that year’s NXT Great American Bash. The following May, it was reported that Steveson was among several talents released from their NXT contracts.
In the time since his release, Steveson was briefly linked to football, signing a deal with the Buffalo Bills but ultimately failing to make their practice squad. He also competed at this year’s NCAA tournament, making it to the finals before losing to Wyatt Hendrickson.
Updating the John Cena/Cody Rhodes interview, what was and wasn’t said, update on the plans for WrestleMania as well as the current ticket demand and interest level.
WBD expresses interest in UFC and evaluating the value of the UFC PPV business, the methods of distribution, how many buyers or subscribers will it take to cover what UFC wants and that value, how a deal with WBD would affect AEW (it would , perhaps significantly).
Full coverage of the final week of the New Japan Cup, including a look at one of the best shows of the year and New Japan’s next major show.
2024 Gaspard/Huber award winners, the most important award we give each year
The most detailed look at the ratings for the various shows, including competition, men vs. women and things to note from the different shows over the past week.
Build to CMLL’s second biggest event of the year
How the foreign talent is doing in Mexico
AAA champion suspended in key market and why
Difference between commission suspensions in U.S. and Mexico
What WWE superstar was suspended for a drug test failure by athletic commissions nationwide and a commission didn’t honor it and why several years back
Angle for a non-wrestling booker to face a woman star in a match
Homicide retirement notes
A look back at the most famous NCAA wrestling tournament match of all-time
The state of El Hijo del Santo’s retirement tour
Updates on Border City Wrestling
Queen of the Ring updates
More on the early days of women’s pro wrestling history
Mandy Rose talks business after wrestling
AEW Dynasty updates including business
AEW and the Ryan Nemeth lawsuit against the company, Tony Khan and CM Punk
International TV and streaming numbers
WWE countering AEW PPV shows
Lex Luger Hall of Fame questions
How much is Dwayne Johhnson’s ownership of TKO worth
How much is Vince McMahon’s current ownership worth
Lots of injury updates
Developmental updates
This Week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter Back Issue
Bryan and I will be back tonight talking about a giant news weekend with Wrestling Observer Radio. Friday’s show with Garrett Gonzales went in depth on these topics:
The Shad Gaspard/Jonathan Huber award
Heel John Cena
New Japan Cup finale
AEW Dynamite rating
AEW & WWE rosters
Lex Luger and Tony Khan’s dilemma
TKO & Netflix
— In what may go down as the biggest match in college wrestling history, Wyatt Hendrickson of Oklahoma State scored a takedown with 15 seconds left to beat Gable Steveson in last night’s NCAA tournament final at 285 pounds. Steveson was up 4-2 but the takedown scored Hendrickson three points to win, 5-4. The most famous final was Larry Owings beating Dan Gable (who Steveson was named after) in 1970 and was considered the biggest upset in college wrestling history. Many were calling last night’s result the biggest upset in college wrestling history (I think so but it’s close) and even the biggest in college sports history (I wouldn’t go that far). There is a ton to digest from this one. Steveson had not been taken down all season. I’m not even sure the last time he was taken down was, but he had not lost a wrestling match of any kind since he was 19 years old in 2019.
— Carter Starocci became the first five-time Division I champion due to allowing him an extra season due to COVID beating Parker Keckeisen of Northern Iowa by a 4-3 score. As Starocci was just starting his promo after the win, President Trump came out and just took all the attention away from an achievement that will likely never be duplicated. It was just sad timing. The place went nuts when Trump came out.
— Ari Emanuel and Patrick Whitesell are leaving Endeavor, buying WME while Mark Shapiro will stay with Endeavor according to this story as Endeavor goes private.
— Very sad to report on the death of independent wrestler Graham Michael (Artist Artest) after a medical emergency in a match last night in Fairborn, OH for Xtreme Valley Wrestling. We don’t have more details past it was the second straight weekend someone died in a match. XVW wrote that he collapsed and was rushed to the hospital and that staff worked tirelessly to keep him alive until the medics arrived. I will say this, a lot of commissions mandate an ambulance at independent shows, both in the U.S. and Mexico but wrestling has gone unregulated in most parts of the U.S. for years. This is probably something that should be mandated everywhere.
— CMLL’s El Homenaje a Dos Leyndas show on Friday night ended with Zandokan Jr & Star Jr. beating Valiente & Esfinge, leading to Zandokan Jr. beating Star Jr. in a mask match. The show was very good, although this didn’t have the same emotion as some of the more famous mask matches in recent years. But they worked very hard. Mistico & Mascara Dorada beat Komander & Hologram in an excellent match with La Mistica on Komander. Komander really stole the show in that match. Angel de Oro & Niebla Roja retained the CMLL tag titles over Rocky Romero & Volador Jr, while AEW’s Lady Frost & Taya Valkyrie lost in a match for the vacant CMLL women’s tag titles to Lluvia & Jarochita. We’ll have more on this tonight.
— WWE results from yesterday in Belfast, Northern Ireland
Rey Mysterio b Finn Balo
Charlotte Flair b Piper Niven
Bron Breakker b Sheamus to keep the IC title
Chelsea Green b Michin to keep the US title
Gunther DCOR CM Punk to keep the World title
War Raiders b New Day to keep the tag titles
Andrade b Carmelo Hayes
Braun Strowman & JImmy Uso b Jacob Fatu & Tama Tonga
Cody Rhodes b Solo Sikoa in a cage match to keep the WWE title
–We’re looking for reports from today’s WWE show in Nottingham, England with results, finishes and highlights to [email protected]
— Future Stars of Wrestling on Triller tonight has the Chris Bey benefit show from Las Vegas:
Kenny King vs. Swerve Strickland
Alex Hammerstone vs. Karrion Kross
Johnny TV vs. Lio Rush vs. Ace Austin
Frankie Kazarian vs. Joe Wiliams vs. Gregory Sharpe vs. TJP vs Danny Limelight
— WWE tonight on A&E at LFG at 8 p.m., Rivals at 9:30 p.m. is about the Ric Flair vs. Ricky Steamboat feud and WWE Greatest Moments at 10:30 p.m. is about celebrities in WWE of the 80s like Mr. T and Cyndi Lauper.
— Collision tonight after NCAA basketball at about 11 p.m. Eastern has Claudio Castagnoli & Wheeler Yuta & Pac vs. Top Flight & AR Fox for the trios titles, Johnny TV vs. Bandido, Harley Cameron vs Aminah Belmnt and Komander & Hologram vs. Mortos & Dralistico. The trios title match opens directly following the game rather than the Lucha match.
— Former UFC star Yoel Romero knocked out former Bellator fighter Ras Hylton in the main event of last night’s Dirty Boxing show in Miami. This is the promotion that Jon Jones has an ownership stake in.
— Pro wrestler and former MMA star Shinya Aoki fought on today’s ONE show at the Saitama Super Arena, beating Eduard Folayang via submission with an armbar in 53 seconds.
— The WWE Valt YouTube has put up a WCW house show from March 13, 1993, in Manchester, England. The top matches were Sting vs. Paul Orndorff, Cactus Jack vs. Vader, Davey Boy Smith vs. Vinnie Vegas and Rick Rude vs. Van Hammer. (thanks to Stephen Lyon)
Gable Steveson says it “just wasn’t the right time” for him in WWE.
Steveson was released from the company in May after signing a multi-year deal in 2021. He has since announced that he’s returning to the University of Minnesota for his final year of eligibility.
The Olympic Gold Medalist recently took part in a press conference with the Golden Gophers wrestling head coach, Brandon Eggum. When asked about his time in WWE, Steveson responded:
“The WWE just wasn’t the right time. I had a lot of competitive edge in me, and they knew that, and it was not the time for it. So maybe one day, if the stars align, it’ll be a great opportunity to do it again. I have no bad feelings with it. I have no bad blood with it, and I would like to keep moving forward with everything I have going on.”
Regarding attending camp with the Buffalo Bills this offseason, Steveson says the NFL is still an option for him in the future.
“I had a few other teams reach out to me previously before coming back here so maybe after the season it’s another opportunity to get a futures deal with the team or go on from there.”
Leading up to Saturday’s UFC event, Steveson was seen training with Heavyweight Champion Jon Jones. Regarding a possible future in MMA, Steveson said:
“It does interest me a lot. Being with Jon was definitely an honor. Jon is the greatest fighter of all time and if you know fighting and you know wrestling and you’re a fight fan, you know Jon Jones. So, being able to be in that cage with him Saturday and seeing that belt live in person, it definitely gave me that fire back.”
Steveson’s full appearance at the press conference is available here:
The new issue of the Wrestling Observer is up on the site right now. It was a huge news week as it’s the largest issue in some time:
ull coverage of Crown Jewel with the matches, business and interest level
Thoughts on the programs going forward
TKO gives its quarterly business update
Why profits are lower than usual.
UFC’s media rights deal thoughts
Talk about the future of Fight Pass
Revenue for UFC & WWE in different categories
Stock value
How much debt TKO currently has
How the Cung Le lawsuit factors into all this
More on the show at Sphere
Thoughts about Dana White and/or Nick Khan getting involved with boxing from Mark Shapiro
More Netflix plans
A look at the Wrestle Kingdom lineup
Where New Japan’s business currently stands
Upcoming New Japan tag team tournament notes
Power Struggle coverage, great matches and angles
NXT and AEW go head-to-head, the most detailed breakdown as to what happened and why
Where AEW stood in the overall standings that night
How every quarter did
Coverage of the Conor McGregor trial going on
Update on Full Gear, announced matches, other matches, ticket buying interest
Notes on WWE cuts like Baron Corbin, Indi Hartwell and Tegan Nox.
Dragon Gates runs a major show
The most detailed look at the ratings for all the shows this past week, with standings for the night and week, segment-by-segment numbers, and all the competition.
CMLL to fill the historical middleweight title vacancy by Mistico this week
Arena Mexico draws the week’s largest crowd for themed show
Update on El Hijo del Vikingo
Stardom tag team tournament update
King of Gate tournament update
Davey Boy Smith Jr. wins Triple Crown and background of that
Death of Scorpio Jr.
Hall of Fame candidate health issue update
The life of AWA’s Al DeRusha
Can actual wrestling draw more than 40,000 each to six events over three days. 2028 we’ll get the chance to find out.
Marko Stunt talks retirement
Santo retirement tour noes
Mike Mansury talks AEW production changes for 2025
All the PPV business updates
Ricochet talks leaving WWE
International TV ratings and streaming numbers
Jon Jones talks Tom Aspinall and why he’s not interested in that ight
More on the Bruce Prichard and Michael Hayes leave of absences
WWE scheduling updates
Yoshhiki Inamura comes to NXT
WWE signs former Olympic athletes
Lots of WWE injury updates
Notes from all the live arena events and the European tour
This Week’s Wrestling Observer Newsletter Back Issue
WWE has uploaded the full WWE Women’s Tag Team title match from Monday’s Raw pitting champions Bianca Belair & Jade Cargill against Liv Morgan & Raquel Rodriguez.
WWE’s main YouTube channel posted the entire segment in which Becky Lynch became ‘The Man” from the November 12, 2018 episode of Raw.
AEW/Other Wrestling
Minnesota Golden Gophers announced that Gable Steveson would return to amateur wrestling for his final year of eligibility.
MJF has taken to social media regarding Adam Cole’s upcoming match against Konosuke Takeshita: “I’ve wrestled Takeshita in one of the greatest Dynamite matches of all time. He’s an incredible professional wrestler with fierce athleticism and blinding speed, plus I gave Don Callis my Dynamite Diamond Ring. Adam Cole is Anthropomorphic yellow mop. Case dismissed.”
UFC Heavyweight Champion Jon Jones has brought in former WWE talent and Olympic gold medalist Gable Steveson to help him prepare for his next fight.
On Tuesday, Jones posted footage of him and Steveson training ahead of Jones’ clash with former two-time champion Stipe Miocic at UFC 309 next month. Jones would later caption a photo of him and Steveson with, “It’s humbling having some of the world’s best athletes supporting me throughout this camp.”
It’s humbling having some of the world’s best athletes supporting me throughout this camp. “Be comfortable being uncomfortable”. pic.twitter.com/q0vqcfiNIF
Steveson is coming off an unsuccessful attempt at trying out for the Buffalo Bills for this off-season. He was not signed to the team’s practice squad either.
Steveson officially signed with WWE in 2021 and was released by the company this May. Following his departure, his manager issued a statement to the MMA Hour:
Gable Steveson is very grateful for the opportunities he had with WWE and would like to thank everybody in the organization who helped him get there. He would also like to thank all the fans who have supported him on his professional wrestling journey. Now, Gable is ready to resume competing against elite-level competition and looks forward to sharing big news with you all very soon.
Former WWE wrestler Gable Steveson’s next career move is in question after failing to be signed to the Buffalo Bills practice squad.
On Tuesday, Steveson was cut from the Bills as the team trimmed down its roster to the NFL’s 53-man limit. He passed through waivers without being claimed by another team and was not signed to the Bills’ 16-player practice squad. Despite that, Bills general manager Brandon Beane said he hopes Steveson continues to pursue a career in football and did not rule out bringing him back to the team in the future.
With no prior experience in football, Steveson was a long shot to make the Bills roster. He played in three preseason games for the team this season. Beane said Steveson worked hard, had good football instincts, and got “a lot better” throughout training camp.
A former Olympic gold medalist and standout amateur wrestler at the University of Minnesota, Steveson signed with WWE in 2021 and was released by the company this May. His only televised pro wrestling match was a double countout against Baron Corbin at NXT Great American Bash 2023, with Steveson’s performance being poorly received by fans.
The 24-year-old Steveson was attempting to make the Bills as a defensive tackle. A spot on the practice squad would have allowed Steveson to continue practicing with the team while giving the Bills the option of promoting him to the active roster.
At least for the moment, former WWE wrestler Gable Steveson has come up short in his long-shot bid to make it in the NFL.
Steveson was waived by the Buffalo Bills on Tuesday as the team cut down its roster to get to the 53-man limit. It remains to be seen whether he will end up part of the Bills’ practice squad. With no prior experience in football, it was unlikely that Steveson would make the team out of training camp. He was signed to the Bills as a defensive tackle in May.
“The #Bills are waiving DL Gable Steveson, source says,” NFL insider Mike Garafolo tweeted. “Former wrestler is a developmental prospect so this won’t be the end of the line for him, whether in Buffalo as a member of the practice squad or elsewhere.”
Steveson had never played football at any level prior to the three preseason games he appeared in for the Bills.
An Olympic gold medalist, Steveson was a star heavyweight amateur wrestler for the University of Minnesota. He signed with WWE in 2021 but only ever had one televised match, a poorly received showing against Baron Corbin at NXT Great American Bash 2023. Steveson was released from his WWE contract this May.
