COMBAT SPORTS
Olympic gold medalist Steveson debuts in UFC as historic favorite
Albuquerque-trained wrestler Gable Steveson enters Saturday's UFC 329 as a minus-3000 favorite, potentially the heaviest in UFC history
There are prohibitive favorites, and then there鈥檚 Gable Steveson.
Steveson, an Olympic wrestling gold medalist who trains for MMA in Albuquerque, was listed on Thursday as a minus-3000 favorite in advance of his UFC heavyweight debut on Saturday against Elisha Ellison.
That means that a bettor would need to wager $3,000 on Steveson to win $100 鈥� making him, it has been said, the heaviest favorite in the history of the UFC.
During a Wednesday news conference in Las Vegas, Nevada, the site of Saturday鈥檚 UFC 329, Steveson didn鈥檛 quite say 鈥淣ever tell me the odds.鈥� He did say, in essence, he鈥檒l give Ellison (5-2, not a bum) the same respect he鈥檚 given his many wrestling opponents and his first three MMA foes: his full attention.
鈥淭his is a great opponent,鈥� Steveson said. 鈥淚 treat everybody the same, whether they鈥檙e the best in the world or Elisha Ellison. It doesn鈥檛 matter to me. I just go out there and have the same mindset when I want to dominate.鈥�
Without question, the odds disparity 鈥� Ellison was listed on Thursday at plus-1200 鈥� is less a mortal insult to Ellison than the highest of compliments to Steveson.
We get it.
Steveson, 26, won four Big Ten heavyweight titles and two NCAA titles at the University of Minnesota. He won U17 and U20 world championships, then defeated Turkish, Mongolian and Georgian opponents in winning Olympic freestyle wrestling gold in Tokyo in 2021.
He went on to wrestle professionally (WWE), signed with the Buffalo Bills (but did not make the team) and scored a couple of quick knockouts in dirty boxing, which essentially combines boxing and MMA (punches on the ground permitted, elbows and back fists as well, but no kicks or choke holds).
Steveson then won his first three MMA fights, contested on LFA, APFC and Mexico Fight League platforms, with strikes in the first round.
Thus, any doubts about this particular wrestler鈥檚 punching power were quickly erased.
Steveson鈥檚 choice of Albuquerque as a training site seems to have begun when Duke City resident Jon Jones was looking for a strong wrestler to train with in preparation for Jones鈥� November 2024 UFC heavyweight title defense against former champion Stipe Miocic. Jones and Steveson became friends, and Jones became part of a Team Steveson that includes Jackson-Wink co-founder Greg Jackson and J-W striking coach Brandon Gibson.
鈥淛on has a major influence on our camp,鈥� Steveson said, 鈥淏ut Greg Jackson, Brandon Gibson and Jon Jones have the same voice in this.鈥�
Partly because of who he is and partly because of the state of the UFC heavyweight division, Steveson 鈥� named Gable Dan Steveson by his parents after American wrestling legend Dan Gable 鈥� is already being talked up as a title contender.
At least one UFC analyst has said he鈥檇 pick Steveson right now to beat UFC interim champion Ciryl Gane. While not shrinking from such comparisons, Steveson said his focus this week is on nothing but Saturday and on no one but Ellison.
鈥淥f course I鈥檓 eyeballing them,鈥� he said, referring to Gane, champion Tom Aspinall and fast-rising contender Josh Hokit, a Jackson-Wink teammate. 鈥淏ut my first task is to go out there Saturday night, put on a great performance and let everybody in this room know that I鈥檓 here.鈥�
Regarding Hokit, Steveson was asked if the two men had worked together in preparation for fights. Steveson sidestepped the question, saying only, 鈥淲e鈥檝e been in the same room many times. Josh is doing a fantastic job at what Josh does, and good for him.鈥�
As for the possibility of a Steveson-Hokit showdown in the future 鈥� Jackson-Wink has always strived to avoid fights between teammates 鈥� Steveson noted that Hokit (10-0) is on the small side for an MMA heavyweight.
鈥淚 honestly hear that Josh Hokit was going to go down to (light heavyweight),鈥� Steveson said. 鈥淚f he goes down, that鈥檒l be a great decision for him in the long run.鈥�
Meanwhile 鈥�
Ellison, Steveson鈥檚 opponent, made it clear he doesn鈥檛 see himself as a sacrificial lamb.
The 29-year-old fighter from Seattle lost his only previous UFC fight by first-round KO but says he鈥檚 comfortable being an underdog of historic proportions.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a blessing,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 get the opportunity to shock the world and show them what I already know.鈥�
Of Jones鈥� presence in Gable鈥檚 corner, Ellison said, 鈥淛on Jones (won鈥檛 be) in the Octagon, so it doesn鈥檛 matter to me. 鈥� Who鈥檚 in his corner, it doesn鈥檛 faze me.鈥�
