Olympic gold medalist and former WWE Superstar Gable Steveson turned in a dominant performance in his MMA debut Friday night.
Competing at Legacy Fighting Alliance (LFA) 217 in his home state of Minnesota, Steveson beat Braden Peterson by technical knockout just 1:38 into the first round.
Steveson managed to take Peterson down to the mat before throwing rapid-fire punches. With Peterson covering up and unable to properly defend himself, the referee stepped in and awarded Steveson the TKO victory.
The 25-year-old Steveson is best known for his dominance as an amateur wrestler, winning the national championship as a heavyweight at the University of Minnesota in both 2021 and 2022.
Steveson also won a gold medal in men’s freestyle wrestling at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, beating Georgia’s Geno Petriashvili in the final.
In 2021, Steveson started the transition to professional wrestling by signing a deal with WWE. After completing the 2022 collegiate wrestling season, Steveson began training at the WWE Performance Center.
It was a much slower process than most expected, though, and he only ended up wrestling one televised match in WWE—a double count-out against Baron Corbin at NXT Great American Bash in 2023.
WWE released Steveson in May 2024, leading to a brief foray into the NFL, as he signed a contract with the Buffalo Bills.
Although Steveson had no football experience, he tried his hand at making the Bills’ roster as a defensive tackle. He was with the team in training camp and appeared in some preseason games before getting released prior to the start of the 2024 regular season.
Now, Steveson is looking to make his mark in the world of MMA, and if he turns in more showings like the one he delivered Friday night, a UFC contract could potentially be in his future.