Olympic gold medal wrestler Gable Steveson continues to turn heads in his young MMA career.
The 25-year old heavyweight entered the cage for the second time on Sunday, as part of the impromptu main event of Anthony Pettis FC 21. Headlining over a title fight that had previously topped the marquee, Steveson was paired up with Kevin Hein, a 2-1 heavyweight to start the night with an undefeated amateur record.
Steveson, incorrectly billed as Stevenson on the APFC 21 broadcast, didn’t take long to get the job done. Just 24 seconds, in fact, as he clobbered Hein with a left hand, transitioned seamlessly into a takedown, then added one more ground strike to seal the deal.
Hein honestly looked out of it after the initial blow, but Steveson showed some killer instincts in the sequence.
Gable Steveson just flatlined Kevin Hein in 30 seconds. Now 2-0 in pro MMA. Send him to the UFC. 🖊️ pic.twitter.com/2qWvGxnF9r
— FULL SEND MMA (@full_send_mma) November 24, 2025
With the win, Gable Steveson is now 2-0 as a mixed martial artist. Formerly training for a pro wrestling career with the WWE, the 2020 Olympic gold medal winner (freestyle wrestling) is now working alongside UFC legend Jon Jones.
In addition to MMA, Steveson picked up a win over Billy Swanson at a Dirty Boxing event at the end of October, less than a month before his MMA return. The American wrestler has expressed a desire to compete on the UFC’s White House card, which is expected to arrive next June. Of course, he needs to earn a UFC contract first, which performances like Sunday’s will no doubt help secure.
