Count Jon Jones among those impressed by Gable Steveson’s first professional mixed martial arts bout.
Steveson, a 2020 Olympic gold medal-winning freestyle wrestler, earned a dominant first-round technical knockout victory Friday night at a Legacy Fighting Alliance event in Prior Lake, Minn.
The 25-year-old heavyweight has spent time training with Jones, a former two-weight UFC champion, ahead of his MMA debut, and Jones was in attendance watching Steveson pick up a 98-second win.
“He’s a freak athlete. He’s incredibly fast, powerful, intelligent,” Jones said backstage at the event. “He has the work ethic and he’s shown our team (at Jackson Wink MMA Academy) that he’s willing to humble himself and surround himself with the best, and I think he has the perfect formula to go all the way to the top.”
Steveson’s opponent, Braden Peterson, was competing in just his second pro bout. The 37-year-old won his pro debut in July after going 4-1 as an amateur between January and April.
Steveson’s post-Olympic athletic career has been highly anticipated.
The Division 1 All-American from the University of Minnesota signed an NIL deal with World Wrestling Entertainment and made occasional appearances on WWE shows between 2021 and 2024.
Following his stint with WWE, Steveson signed a contract with the NFL’s Buffalo Bills to play defensive lineman despite the fact that he had never played football previously. He never made the Bills’ main roster and was released in August of 2024.
Steveson is now a high-ceiling prospect in MMA’s heavyweight division.