Gable Steveson is one of the most successful amateur wrestlers ever at heavyweight, winning the Olympic gold in 2020 along with two national titles at the University of Minnesota.
Many amateur wrestlers have transitioned to MMA as they bring in an already strong base and can keep the competitive juices flowing.
Speaking to Ariel Helwani on the MMA Hour, Steveson was asked about the possibility of getting into the cage.
"I’ve dipped and dabbed in MMA for a while now. After being in that camp with Jon Jones, that definitely put a major spark in me to go out there and do MMA. Not sure the promotion yet, but Jon definitely lit a fire under me and was like, ‘Hey, I think you should go back to wrestling, I think you should try MMA. We got a great team here if you want to join us.’ It was just fascinating how I got into something so quick, and when I put on the gloves, everything felt like home base. With the wrestling, with the boxing work, with the jiu-jitsu, I feel like I could be very good really quick," he said.
Steveson trained with Jon Jones ahead of Jones' showdown with Stipe Miocic at UFC 309.
Asked if he has a MMA fight scheduled, Steveson replied, “I do not have an MMA fight. I do have a path that can lead me to somewhere great, and so we are discussing it, and I think it’ll be a really good path for me to get out there and showcase who I am. I’m gonna take some time and make sure everything is 100% ready and make sure that I am physically capable of being who I am, which I know I am. But you just know it’s gonna take time, like every other thing."
Steveson returned to the Minnesota for his final year of eligibility, getting back on the mat on November 24.
Elsewhere during the interview, Steveson commented on the possibility of returning to professional wrestling. You can find his full comments by clicking here.
If you use any of the quotes above, please credit and link to the original source with a h/t and link back to Fightful for the transcription.
