{"id":474198,"date":"2026-02-14T09:31:08","date_gmt":"2026-02-14T09:31:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/474198\/"},"modified":"2026-02-14T09:31:08","modified_gmt":"2026-02-14T09:31:08","slug":"gable-steveson-hopeful-for-fast-track-ufc-debut-in-26","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/474198\/","title":{"rendered":"Gable Steveson Hopeful For Fast-Track UFC Debut In ’26"},"content":{"rendered":"

Gable Steveson<\/a> (2-0 MMA) has already had a storied career in the world of athletics. In the rescheduled Tokyo Summer Olympics in 2021, Steveson, a freestyle wrestler, secured a takedown right before the clock expired\u00a0<\/a>in the 125-kg division. In so doing, the victory netted Steveson a gold medal for his country<\/p>\n

Less than three years later, during the 2024 NFL offseason, the Buffalo Bills signed Gable Steveson as a defensive tackle. Training camp came and went for the Bills in upstate New York, with Steveson, who had no prior experience in the sport of football, recording three tackles that August.<\/p>\n

This would be the extent of Steveson\u2019s NFL career, as he failed to retain his spot on the roster after final cuts following the exhibition season. From there, he returned to college wrestling and The University of Minnesota as a graduate student.<\/p>\n

Gable Steveson Turns to MMA<\/p>\n

Upon qualifying for the 2025 NCAA Division I Wrestling Tournament with the No. 1 seed, he worked his way through the bracket and qualified for the title match against No. 2 seed Wyatt Hendrickson of Oklahoma State University. Gable Steveson\u2019s college wrestling career ended in defeat with Hendrickson taking the national championship, 5-4.<\/p>\n

In September of 2025, Steveson took on the next chapter of his sports career by making his professional MMA debut. Braden Petersen (1-3 MMA) served as his adversary on Sept. 12.<\/p>\n

The 25-year-old Gable Steveson made quick work of Petersen in LFA 217, needing only one minute and 38 seconds to stop his adversary with punches. Following an October appearance in dirty boxing promotion DBX with\u00a0 DBX 4\u2019s main event, where he ended the contest in 15 blistering seconds versus Billy Swanson (4-3 MMA,) he made another quick turnaround for a Nov. 23 fight vs. Kevin Hein (2-2, 1 NC,) one that concluded in 24 seconds.<\/p>\n

Steveson Knows He\u2019s on UFC\u2019s Radar<\/p>\n

In 71 days, Gable Steveson had already fought and won in combat sports three times. Now awaiting him is a Feb. 19 contest in Mexico Fight League\u2019s MFL 3 from Monterrey, Nuevo Leon. His opponent on the Thursday night card: Hugo Lezama (11-3 MMA.)<\/p>\n

Lezama will be the toughest test up to now in Steveson\u2019s young MMA career, having won four fights in succession heading into MFL 3. Steveson has one plus going for him in that he\u2019s been learning under former UFC Heavyweight Champion Jon Jones.<\/p>\n

With highlight-reel finishes already on his resume, he\u2019s got reason enough to know that he\u2019ll be on the UFC\u2019s radar. Gable Steveson spoke to ESPN\u2019s Brett Okamoto<\/a> recently about this.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

\u201cI think they\u2019re watching closely,\u201d Gable Steveson said after a chuckle. \u201cI think they\u2019re keeping their tabs [on me.] I don\u2019t know. You\u2019d hope they\u2019re watching closely, but I know they are, just me being in humble, nice words. They\u2019re watching, that\u2019s all I need to say.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gable Steveson Buying \u201cBones’\u201d Claims That He\u2019ll be UFC Champ in Short Order<\/p>\n

It\u2019s no secret that the UFC heavyweight division has fallen on hard times of late in the wake of the Tom Aspinall vs. Ciryl Gane championship fight ending in a no-contest last October. Earlier this week, No. 6 contender Jailton Almeida found himself out of a UFC roster spot. <\/a>This roster move came about after Almeida\u2019s manager confirmed he was seeking a fight at light heavyweight<\/a> for his next contest.<\/p>\n

Some pundits have called for the UFC to discontinue its heavyweight division altogether recently, but Jon Jones is of the belief that Gable Steveson could be the UFC Heavyweight Champion by this time in 2027.<\/p>\n

\u201cI believe it,\u201d Steveson said. \u201cI believe it because I\u2019ve got full confidence in myself. With a guy like Jon kind of guiding the way for me, I feel like the confidence just goes through the roof. The best thing about it is he sees me firsthand, training with him, hitting the pads and going through all the motions, so his word is gold with that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Final Thoughts: Steveson Will be One to Watch as 2026 Continues<\/p>\n

If the rise of Gable Steveson continues uninterrupted, the sky is going to no doubt be the limit for this young man. He\u2019s only 25 and won\u2019t turn 26 until the end of May. Steveson\u2019s already proven himself in the early days of his MMA career as a force to be reckoned with at 265.<\/p>\n

Imagine how much more dominant he\u2019ll be when he reaches his athletic prime. Should he win this Thursday, Steveson, whose name has surfaced as a possibility for the UFC White House card in June in Washington DC, may just skip the\u00a0Contender Series\u00a0route entirely and get to the big leagues right away.<\/p>\n

This young man will be a prospect to keep your eye on as the year continues without question.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

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