At just 25, Gable Steveson, a former NCAA Division I wrestling champion and Olympic gold medalist in freestyle wrestling, has been called the future of the UFC’s heavyweight division, as well as its savior.
That’s saying something, given he’s yet to even sign with the promotion.
On Thursday, Steveson entered the cage to compete in MMA for just the third time, headlining MFL 3 in Monterrey, Mexico where he took on the vastly more experienced Hugo Lezama.
Steveson was 2-0 to start the night, with Jon “Bones” Jones in his corner, while Mexico’s Lezama was 11-3. That, of course, doesn’t factor in Steveson’s wrestling pedigree, which is why many have tapped him as the heavyweight of the future.
If there was a knock on Lezama, meanwhile, it was that he was undersized as a heavyweight, frequently dropping to 205lbs for fights at light heavyweight while also fighting a weight class up. Maybe that’s why Lezama came in at his heaviest (238lbs) for Thursday’s tilt, not that it mattered in the end.
After a bit of work on the feet early in the fight, Lezama tried flipping the script and shooting a takedown on the Olympic wrestler, which Steveson easily stuffed. Steveson then wound up on top briefly, but had to avoid an upkick, and welcomed the fight back to the feet. A spinning back kick by Lezama followed, but he seemed to lose his footing, going down easy and eating some big shots from Steveson on the ground.
Steveson welcomed Lezama back up, and this time he landed a spinning kick before Gable overwhelmed him and got the fight back down. Steveson wound up controlling from the back; when Lezama rolled, Steveson was there with elbows, punches, and a big knee to the side. Lezama managed to survive that onslaught, with Steveson ending up in half-guard while the Mexican heavyweight held on. Lezama would scramble, but Steveson stayed with him, got back on top, and fired more ground n’ pound on an already bloodied Lezama. This time, the ref decided Lezama wasn’t defending well enough, and waved things off.
“I feel great. A lot of things to get better on, but I’m getting better every day,” Steveson said following the performance. Asked what comes next in his career, however, he sidestepped the question. “I’m going to take a shower, go back to the hotel and fall asleep.”
There has been talk about Gable Steveson debuting for the UFC later this year, even at the White House event in June, though it amounts to nothing more than rumor at this point. Still, Steveson has done everything in his power to make that dream a reality.
Official Result: Gable Steveson def. Hugo Lezama by TKO (ground n’ pound), Round 1, 3:50
