One of the best wrestlers on the planet is ready to make a splash in MMA.
Olympic gold medallist and two-time NCAA Division I champion, Gable Steveson, will make his much-anticipated MMA debut on September 12 at LFA 217.
Steveson will co-headline the show at Prior Lake’s Mystic Lake Casino Hotel in his home state of Minnesota against 1-0 heavyweight Braden Peterson.
The 25-year-old has been teasing a move to MMA for quite some time, but he decided to try his hand at a couple of other sports before landing on his new career.
After becoming the youngest American freestyle wrestler to win Olympic gold in the super heavyweight division at just 21 years old, the precocious talent opted to initially go down the pro wrestling route by signing with the WWE in August 2021.
Following a two-and-a-half-year stint, he was eventually released from his contract in May 2024, having only appeared in one televised match.
In the same month, Steveson joined NFL side, the Buffalo Bills.
However, he failed to make the cut for their 53-man squad.
With all of his other options exhausted, Steveson returned to the University of Minnesota to fulfil his final year of eligibility and challenge for a third NCAA title.
Steveson enjoyed a dominant 18-0 run up until the final day of the season, when he suffered one of the biggest upsets in collegiate wrestling history, thanks to a last-gasp takedown from Oklahoma State’s Wyatt Hendrickson.
In the days that followed, Steveson began making the full-time transition to MMA.
During a March appearance on ‘The Pat McAfee Show’ shortly after his upset loss to Hendrickson, Steveson revealed his intentions to make his debut in MMA, crediting the influence of former two-weight UFC champion Jon Jones as a ‘great mentor’.
“I’ve got a great mentor right now, I hope a lot of people know a guy named Jon Jones – just a fantastic dude and the greatest fighter of all time. He’s pretty damn good,” Steveson said.
“I appreciate his efforts of trying to lead me into the right direction and kind of taking my back and giving me the direction that I need.
“I’m really young, and he’s been there and done that before, so I’m really appreciative of how he’s kind of walked my steps leading into this next chapter, if that’s what it is.”
Steveson helped Jones prepare for his UFC heavyweight title defence against Stipe Miocic last November at the Jackson Wink Academy in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
He has also passed through the doors of the Las Vegas Syndicate MMA gym, home to reigning UFC bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili.