{"id":425361,"date":"2026-01-20T11:33:13","date_gmt":"2026-01-20T11:33:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/425361\/"},"modified":"2026-01-20T11:33:13","modified_gmt":"2026-01-20T11:33:13","slug":"gable-steveson-to-face-14-fight-mma-veteran-as-olympian-continues-ufc-push","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/425361\/","title":{"rendered":"Gable Steveson to face 14-fight MMA veteran as Olympian continues UFC push"},"content":{"rendered":"<p id=\"inline-text-0\" class=\"mt-[18px] md:mt-0 mb-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-secondary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"4u\">Gable Steveson is officially getting a step up in competition for what will be his third MMA fight after the wrestling standout debuted last year. <\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-1\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-secondary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"4x\">Already considered a must-watch heavyweight MMA prospect, Steveson is a two-time NCAA Division 1 national champion in freestyle wrestling and also claimed a gold medal for the United States at the 2020 Summer Olympic Games in Tokyo.<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-2\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-secondary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"50\">The 25-year-old tried his hand at careers in both the NFL and the WWE before he finally turned to MMA last year, winning his debut in September before he also <a href=\"https:\/\/www.si.com\/fannation\/mma\/news\/gable-steveson-ufc-legend-jon-jones-15-second-ko\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">competed in Mike Perry\u2019s Dirty Boxing Championship <\/a>and then closed out the year <a href=\"https:\/\/www.si.com\/fannation\/mma\/news\/gable-steveson-ufc-24-second-ko-mma-fight-\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">with a 24-second knockout <\/a>in his second MMA bout. <\/p>\n<p>Gable Steveson Returns To MMA At Mexican Fight League 3<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-4\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-secondary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"56\">Steveson\u2019s three combat sports victories all came during a three-month span at the end of 2025, and now the Olympic gold medalist is set to kick off 2026 by facing Hugo Lezama at Mexican Fight League 3 on February 19. <\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-5\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-secondary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"59\">READ MORE: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.si.com\/fannation\/mma\/news\/ufc-s-paddy-pimblett-reveals-when-he-will-ko-justin-gaethje-in-ufc-324-main-event\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">UFC&#8217;s Paddy Pimblett reveals when he will KO Justin Gaethje in UFC 324 main event<\/a><\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-7\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-secondary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"5g\">MFL 3 is scheduled to take place at Showcenter Complex in Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, Mexico, and Steveson vs. Lezama is the only bout that\u2019s been announced for the card so far. MFL actually held its first event last September, just days before Steveson made his MMA debut at LFA 217. <\/p>\n<p>How Many Wins Does Steveson Need Before UFC Call?<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-9\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-secondary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"5m\">Steveson\u2019s first two MMA opponents Braden Peterson and Kevin Hein had a combined record of 3-1 in professional MMA, but the 25-year-old is now set to face a fighter in Lezama that has 14 fights of professional MMA experience. <\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-10\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-secondary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"5p\">READ MORE: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.si.com\/fannation\/mma\/news\/ufc-s-paramount-partnership-prominently-featured-during-nfl-playoffs-before-ufc-324\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">UFC&#8217;s Paramount+ partnership prominently featured during NFL playoffs before UFC 324<\/a><\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-11\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-secondary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"5s\">\u201cPandemonium\u201d made his debut in 2014 and scored a first-round finish to kick off what eventually became a five-fight win streak to begin his MMA career. Lezama claimed the Budo Sento Championship heavyweight belt in 2023 and was stopped by UFC veteran Emiliano Sordi in a bid to claim the FFC light heavyweight belt in his next outing, but he returned to Budo Sento Championship in late 2024 to defend his heavyweight strap with a second-round finish. <\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/01k63fqr9vcx0krp9s4b.jpg\" alt=\"Gable Steveson won his pro MMA debut in less than two minutes.\" title=\"Gable Steveson won his pro MMA debut in less than two minutes.\" width=\"853\" height=\"1137\" class=\"undefined w-full w-full blur-[5px]\" q:id=\"61\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Gable Steveson won his pro MMA debut in less than two minutes. | (LFA)<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-13\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-secondary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"65\">Even though the 37-year-old Lezama will have an edge in MMA experience, Steveson will likely be a significant favorite heading into his third MMA bout after the 25-year-old logged less than half a round of combined total fight time across his three combat sports outings last year. <\/p>\n<p>More MMA Knockout News<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-15\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-secondary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"6b\">\u2022\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.si.com\/fannation\/mma\/news\/null\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">UFC legend shares message of support for Xabi Alonso after shocking Real Madrid exit<\/a><\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-16\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-secondary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"6e\">\u2022\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.si.com\/fannation\/mma\/news\/chti-vera-end-losing-streak-dangerous-ufc-mexico-fight-david-martinez\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">UFC fan favorite set to try and end losing streak in dangerous UFC Mexico fight<\/a><\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-17\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-secondary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"6h\">\u2022\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.si.com\/fannation\/mma\/news\/ufc-fans-cry-mismatch-next-fight-undefeated-ko-machine-austen-lane-iwo-baraniewski\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">UFC fans cry mismatch on reported next fight for undefeated KO machine<\/a><\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-18\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-secondary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"6k\">\u2022\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.si.com\/fannation\/mma\/news\/khamzat-chimaev-calls-out-scared-alex-pereira-ufc-white-house-fight\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Khamzat Chimaev calls out &#8220;scared&#8221; Alex Pereira for UFC White House fight<\/a><\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-19\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-secondary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"6n\">Stick with\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.si.com\/fannation\/mma\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">MMAKnockout<\/a>\u00a0for more FREE coverage of the UFC and MMA.<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-20\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-secondary my-f-1.5\" q:key=\"0\" q:id=\"6q\">Follow MMAKnockout on\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/MMAKnockoutSI\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Facebook<\/a>,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/UFCKnockout\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Twitter<\/a>, and\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/mmaknockoutsi\/?hl=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Instagram<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/www.instagram.com\/embed.js\"><\/script><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Gable Steveson is officially getting a step up in competition for what will be his third MMA fight&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":425362,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[570],"tags":[64,63,786,785,85],"class_list":{"0":"post-425361","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-mma","8":"tag-au","9":"tag-australia","10":"tag-fighting","11":"tag-mma","12":"tag-sports"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/425361","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=425361"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/425361\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/425362"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=425361"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=425361"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=425361"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}