Gable Steveson’s return to the NCAA wrestling mat definitely turned a few heads. The career of the heavyweight phenom, Olympic gold medalist, and two-time NCAA champion has been both short of a rollercoaster ride. After oscillating between triumphs and failures in different fields, Steveson is now back again where he truly belongs. After a short-lived stint with WWE and a ‘not so successful’ venture in the NFL, Gable has resorted to increasing the count of his wins on the mat. 

Steveson’s time in WWE promised much but delivered little. While his aspirations did not align with the plans of WWE, the wrestling prodigy was waiting for the opportunity to make his return to the mat. Finally free from contractual constraints, the 24-year-old has rejoined the Minnesota Golden Gophers. And he returned with fire, eager to reclaim his throne. And with his opening matches, he’s already on that path. His recent performance, a dominating 20-4 technical fall over All-American Taye Ghidali, marks his 54th consecutive collegiate victory and signals his intentions loud and clear. However, amid rejoicing in his comeback victory, is Gable Steveson planning to embrace another change in his career?

Is Gable Steveson waiting to step into the octagon holding the hands of the UFC heavyweight champ?

Yet, as Steveson pursues history on the mat, his sights aren’t set solely on wrestling. The wrestling prodigy has hinted at a new chapter in his athletic journey. One that could lead him into the high-stakes world of mixed martial arts. After his recent wrestling victory, Steveson stated, “The door of MMA is slowly starting to open up.” He further added, “That definitely put a huge spark in me to do MMA, too. Wherever the path leads me to after this wrestling season is going to be great regardless but the MMA thing.”

Fueling this spark is his training with UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones. And the champion himself heaped praise on Steveson’s potential to turn out to be a leading star in the UFC octagon. Not only did Jones refer to Steveson as an “asset” but also mentioned, “He’s gonna be scary. He’s gonna be very scary when he decides to do MMA. He knows how to make men appear very weak.”

Jon Jones stated that learning a few more skills of boxing and jiu-jitsu would mold the wrestling phenom into a UFC star in no time. And Gable himself too has recently thrown light on how he enjoys putting the gloves on and mixing the other martial arts alongside wrestling. Gable mentioned, “As I put the gloves on, I really like the feeling of going out there and mixing everything together from wrestling to boxing to kickboxing to jiu-jitsu and putting all the pieces together in one.” The time that Jones and Steveson have shared together in training camp has already drawn the attention of fans. And with Jones describing Steveson as an invaluable teammate and Gable enjoying the training regime with Jones, speculations are sparking regarding his entry to the MMA realm.

However, now Steveson appears to remain focused on his immediate goals on the mat for the Gophers. Moreover, alongside showing interest in stepping inside the UFC octagon, Gable also hinted at his hopes to represent his nation in the LA 2028 Olympics. But, amid everything, the comment from another UFC star alongside Jon Jones makes his prospect of stepping into MMA loom large.

Wrestler turned MMA star wants Steveson to step into the world of MMA

Alongside Jon Jones, another UFC star too cemented his legacy in the UFC 309. On one hand, Jones secured his heavyweight championship title, defeating Stipe Miocic. And on the other hand, another wrestler turned MMA phenom secured a victory by defeating Paul Craig. Bo Nickal, after his win against Craig, insisted Gable Steveson join the powerful realm of MMA.

Nickal himself has ruled the NCAA mat as a wrestling phenom and now knowing the true aura of the MMA world, he wants more fighters with true potential to embrace the fiery sport. While calling other dominant wrestlers to join UFC, Nickal stated, “I would love to see as many high-level wrestlers as possible transition over to MMA. The last decade or so, we really haven’t had the best collegiate wrestlers move into MMA… Guys like Gable Steveson, it would be amazing to see him transition over.” Echoing the words of Jones, Bo Nickal too wholeheartedly believes that Gable would shine bright in the octagon. Now, fans would just wait to witness the next step that Steveson takes to make his future shine even brighter.