Gable Steveson isn’t trying to rush things, but he does want the UFC heavyweight title ASAP.
Only 26 years old and an Olympic gold medalist in wrestling, Steveson is one of the most-hyped MMA prospects of all time. After trying his hand at football and professional wrestling, Steveson moved to MMA in 2025, immediately showcasing rare athleticism and talent that left many fans wondering when — not if — Steveson would move to the UFC and take the heavyweight title.
Steveson fulfilled the former earlier this year, making his promotional debut at UFC 329 with a first-round TKO over Elisha Ellison, and if he had his druthers, the latter would be sooner rather than later.
“I would like to say as fast as possible, but I would like to get my reps in, make sure the people know I earned my respect, and earned my time in the octagon,” Steveson told reporters at the RAF 12 press conference when asked how soon he wants to challenge for the heavyweight title. “And when that time comes, I’ll most definitely be ready.”
Speaking with MMA Fighting after the press conference, Steveson went into more detail about his plans for working his way to the title, and how his work with Jon Jones expedited his personal timeline.
“I think my progression has been great,” Steveson said. “I think with Jon and a lot of guys in my corner, the progression has been faster than we thought. And obviously, with my last fight I introduced my kicks; I introduced knees this time. My next fight I’ll introduce something else and just keep building off that.
“I think however long it takes is what means most to me. Whether it’s eight fights, whether it’s five fights, whether it’s four, whether it’s six, it doesn’t really matter. I come out there to compete. My goal right now is to earn the respect of the fans, earn the respect of the people, the higher-ups, earn the respect of myself to go out there and compete in these matchups that may seem a little off, but it’s part of the game. You’ve got to build the respect with the team and build the respect within yourself, and honor the cage, and get your reps in.
“So, I’m getting my reps in now. When that time comes to jump — which will be very soon — I’ll jump.”
First thing first, though, Steveson already has his next UFC fight booked, taking on Sean Sharaf next month at UFC 331, and he’s hoping to keep this high rate of activity up. He aims to return with a fight at Madison Square Garden before the end of the year.
“I’m happy about this,” Steveson said of the matchup. “I’m the one who chose to fight again early. I could have fought at MSG and waited through that time, but I wanted to be competitive and wrestle, and then fight again, and then fight again after that. With my opponent, Sean Sharaf, a big guy who’s not really mobile, can’t really top a takedown, who wants to go out there and brawl and eat a lot of punches — I expect him to come out there the best he possibly can, but I feel like there’s no avenue for him to even compete.”
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