Athletes
Gable Steveson Has Arrived
Highly Regarded Heavyweight Talks Expectations, UFC Debut
UFC 329 has a chance to be an historic night at T-Mobile Arena for a number of reasons, including the fact that the star-studded affair and outstanding fight card incudes the promotional debut of one of the best prospects to arrive in the sport on quite some time: heavyweight Gable Steveson.
An Olympic gold medalist and two-time NCAA Division I national champion wrestler, the 26-year-old made his transition to mixed martial arts last September and racked up three rapid first-round stoppage wins before signing with the UFC. This weekend, he steps into the Octagon for the first time against Pacific Northwest native Elisha Ellison as the biggest betting favorite in UFC history and heralded by many as a generational talent who is expected to turn the division on its head in a relatively short amount of time.
“I think it’s a huge weight to have people go out there and say, ‘He could be the next big thing,’” began Steveson. “But I think when you believe that you can be the next big thing, when others say that you can be and you already know that you will be, there are two different sides to that story…. I believe I can be the best in anything. I could play baseball; I could be the best. I could play soccer; I could be the best. I could play cricket, do anything that I ever wanted, and that’s my mindset. Like we talked about: Saturday is the big step, but it’s okay — we’ve been here before.
WATCH : Gable Steveson Fight Week Interview
“You’ve got to believe in yourself first,” added Steveson, who is being mentored by former two-division champion Jon Jones and coached by the same squad that helped “Bones” become one of the best in the sport’s history, including Greg Jackson and Brandon “Six Gun” Gibson. “But I also believe in Brandon, I also believe in Greg, I also believe in Jon, and I know they believe in me wholeheartedly also. When we have that two-way street where both parties believe in each other, I believe we can become something special… I put my time and my effort into Brandon, Greg, and Jon every single day — whether it’s bad days, good days, better days, it’s just part of the game and that’s what we do.”
Part of what makes all this anticipation and advanced billing surrounding Steveson and his foray in the UFC heavyweight ranks feel more realistic than other instances where fighters have been heralded as “The Next Big Thing” is that the Minnesota-native has already navigated these waters before.
Steveson was the top wrestling recruit in the country coming out of high school and thrived at the University of Minnesota, adding a pair of Dan Hodge Trophy wins and five-time All-American status to his two National championship wins. As a 21-year-old, he bulldozed his way into the gold medal match at the 2020 Olympic Summer Games, defeating the three-time and reigning world champion Geno Petriashvili of Georgia to claim gold.
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“I treat the No. 1 guy like I treat the unranked guy: beat them the same way and beat them badly the same way, and that’s what I did my whole wrestling career. If I wrestled NCAA finals, it was the same thought as if I wrestled the Round of 32 against a guy from maybe Binghamton or Cal Poly; someone that doesn’t have the experience or pedigree to go against me. You’ve got to treat them the same because if you give that guy a chance to beat you, and that’s not gonna happen.
“Fighting is such a different rush, but I would compare this to the Olympic Games. Every single match is something special, every single match could put you into the next bracket where you can win that next big match… I think Saturday is gonna be the same thing: me walking out in front of a big crowd like I have before, going out there and feeling comfortable — cool, calm, and collected — and going out there and getting a victory for myself.”
His introductory bout against Ellison is a reasonable first test at this level for the explosive athlete and elite prospect: a pairing with a slightly more seasoned opponent who will make him pay for any glaring mistakes but isn’t so far up the divisional ladder that it feels like you’re throwing Steveson to the wolves right out of the gate.
If things go the way the newcomer forecasts they will go this weekend, a significantly sterner test could be next though.
Joe Rogan Interviews Conor McGregor And Max Holloway Ahead Of UFC 329
“I think my path to victory is any way I desire it to be,” Steveson said. “Elisha is gonna come in here, try to be a powerhouse — try to throw big hands, try to throw big shots, maybe defend a couple takedowns if he can; that’s part of his gameplan… But we come in here to dominate. We come in here to make sure that he knows that we’re here — that this is my ring, this is my cage, and Saturday night will be mine.
“I got so many great people in my ear saying, ‘You can be the best,’ but I believe in those words as much as they tell me those words and they believe them themselves. I think it’s another day — another day to show the world who I am and another day to show the next opponent who I can be and what he will face.”
Despite the bar being set incredibly high for him heading into UFC 329, Steveson knows that this weekend won’t be the final measure of his skills, but rather just the opening taste.
That said, he fully intends to make a statement, and perhaps even make Ellison reconsider his career pursuits.
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“I measure success as a dominating victory,” he said without hesitation, summing up his goal for his debut. “It has to be dominating, but it doesn’t have to be perfect; it doesn’t have to be the best thing ever. I have to go out there and beat Elisha Ellison in the worst way possible that he can ever think of.
“I don’t want him to fight again after this.”
UFC 329: McGregor vs Holloway 2 took place live from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada on July 11, 2026. See the final Prelim & Main Card Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC FIGHT PASS!
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