Gable Steveson put the UFC heavyweight division on notice in his first MMA fight tonight.
An Olympic Gold Medalist in freestyle wrestling at the age of 21, many thought the UFC would be the move for Steveson after accomplishing so much in the sport.
However, it wasn’t Steveson’s first choice as the American signed with WWE and then the NFL’s Buffalo Bills after that—neither of which was the right fit for Steveson.
After training MMA with arguably the greatest fighter of all time, Jon Jones, the 25-year-old Steveson seems to have found his calling in the Octagon, where he made his pro debut at LFA 217 on Friday night in Prior Lake, Minnesota.
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Gable Steveson wins MMA debut by first-round TKO at LFA 217
Steveson met former police officer Braden Peterson in his MMA debut. The 37-year-old Peterson was 1-0 as a pro and had five amateur fights under his belt.
After the opening bell sounded, Steveson wasted no time in getting the fight to the ground.
The wrestling champion took down his opponent on his first attempt, inside the first 20 seconds of the fight.
Steveson worked from top control, attempting an American submission less than a minute in.
While Peterson got out of the submission, there was no escaping Steveson’s ground and pound strikes from the top. 90 seconds into round 1, Peterson found himself in a world of trouble.
Steveson landed elbows and vicious punches from mount as the referee watched on, stopping the contest after he had seen enough.
Jon Jones watched Steveson score his first win from the corner.
Jon Jones says Gable Steveson has the ‘perfect formula’ for MMA greatness
While Steveson, a massive favorite, probably didn’t need it, Jon Jones hyped up the already highly-touted wrestler on the LFA broadcast.
“He’s Gable,” Jones said of his teammate, who helped him get ready for Stipe Miocic at UFC 309 last November.
“And as I say that, I feel like the MMA crowd will get used to hearing that, just like the wrestling crowd understands what he is. He’s a freak athlete,” Jones said of Steveson.
“He’s incredibly fast. He’s powerful. He’s intelligent. He has the work ethic. And he’s shown our team, Greg Jackson and I, Brandon Gibson and I, that he’s willing to humble himself and surround himself with the best.
“And I think he has the perfect formula to go all the way to the top. And some,” Jones added.
Jones also mentioned the biggest thing that surprises him about Steveson is the way he’s able to mix in his boxing with his wrestling.