Gable Steveson did what everyone expected on Saturday night at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. He blasted his way through Elisha Ellison in the first round. Let's talk MMA.
Key Facts At A Glance
- Result:Gable Steveson def. Elisha Ellison, first round
- Event:UFC 329 prelims, T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas
- Age: 26 (born May 31, 2000)
- Wrestling: 2020 Olympic gold medalist, two-time NCAA champion at Minnesota
- Before MMA:WWE (2021-2024), Buffalo Bills (2024)
- Betting line: Opened around -2166, the biggest favorite in UFC history
What Happened in the Fight?
Steveson entered as the biggest betting favorite in UFC history, and the fight went exactly the way the number suggested. He needed one round to end Ellison's night.
Ellison performed well, all things considered. He came out to win, landed some shots, but Steveson took them well and was undeterred. Steveson kept the fight standing, never resorting to his world-class wrestling.
The debut extends a pattern. Steveson has finished every professional fight he has had, all in the first round, since turning pro in September 2025 and running through three opponents on the regional circuit before the UFC came calling. The rest of the UFC 329 card rolls toward Conor McGregor's return, but the heavyweight prospect made his statement early.
What's Gable Steveson's Pro Wrestling Background?
How good of an amateur wrestler was Steveson? Try top tier.
Steveson is one of the most decorated American wrestlers alive, and his mother named him after the legendary wrestler, Dan Gable. He won Olympic gold at the Tokyo Games as a 21-year-old, taking the super heavyweight final from Georgia's Geno Petriashvili with two takedowns in the closing 10 seconds.
At Minnesota he was a two-time NCAA champion, a two-time Dan Hodge Trophy winner, a four-time Big Ten champion and a five-time All-American, finishing with an 83-2 record. After his second national title, he left his shoes in the center of the mat.
He never fully walked away. Steveson is currently signed to Real American Freestyle alongside his UFC deal, and he trains under Greg Jackson with Jon Jones in the room.
What's Gable Steveson's WWE Background?
Many may not remember, but Steveson tried to make a serious run in professional wrestling. WWE signed Steveson in September 2021, weeks after the Olympics, making him only the second Olympic gold medalist the company had brought in after Kurt Angle. WWE drafted him to Raw, then largely left him on the shelf.
His creative run never took hold. He suplexed Chad Gable at WrestleMania 38, then vanished from television, and his only televised match came at NXT Great American Bash in July 2023 against Baron Corbin, a double count-out where the crowd audibly turned on him. That kind of rejection is rough for any new arrival, and WWE has struggled to land other debuts since.
WWE released him in May 2024. Dave Meltzer reported the deal was expensive and the company had decided he was not producing.
Did Gable Steveson Play in the NFL?
He didn't make a 53-man roster, but he got some preseason run. Weeks after his WWE release, the Buffalo Bills signed him to a three-year rookie deal as a defensive lineman, despite the fact that he had never played organized football. His first time in cleats came at his Bills workout.
He appeared in all three preseason games and recorded three tackles and two quarterback hits before Buffalo waived him in August 2024. That closed the detour and pointed him toward the cage.
Two false starts later, Steveson is finally in a sport where his actual skill set decides the outcome. On Saturday, it did.
