The moment Gable Steveson signs a UFC contract — if he signs a UFC contract — he’ll instantly become the greatest athlete in the promotion’s history.
And that’s no hyperbole.
He’s an Olympic gold medalist. A college wrestling legend. A WWE superstar. And he’s so freakishly gifted that, despite never playing football, the Buffalo Bills brought him into training camp last summer just to see if lightning might strike.
He’s got everything it seems he’d need not only to compete in the UFC, but to dominate.
But being a great athlete? That’s not what separates the good from the great in this sport.
Being fast, quick, strong, and agile is a boost, but it’s the willingness to sacrifice everything in pursuit of victory that separates contenders from champions.
We’re talking punches to the chin, kicks to the head, knees to the groin, pokes to the eye, and months away from family. And that’s just for a start. Imagine having to drop 40 pounds in six weeks, eating food you don’t like, avoiding food you love and going to bed at the same time your pals are heading out to party.
That’s what it takes to survive in the most brutal sport on Earth.
Why has Jon Jones been so great for so long? Winning means more to him than just about anything.
He’s been viciously attacked online by fans who would tremble in his presence. He’s been pounded in practice by the greatest wrestlers (Steveson included), twisted by legendary jiu-jitsu players and punched by world-class boxers.
He never sees anything less than the best from an opponent because he’s been the man for so long. He’s also endured slings and arrows because of his numerous outside-the-Octagon controversies, but never allowed that to detract him from his goal.
He perseveres because he loves winning, and beating the snot out of people, so much.
That’s what we don’t know about Steveson yet. We know he can do things athletically at 270 pounds that guys at 170 pounds only dream about.
But can he come back, day after day, after a right hand to the grill, a knee to the midsection, and a cut on the forehead that is pouring blood into his eye as quickly as the Colorado River empties into Cataract Canyon?
At that point, athleticism won’t mean nearly as much. Tom Aspinall, the UFC’s interim heavyweight champion, surely would respect Steveson but in no way would he be intimidated by him.
Shawn Dowd/Imagn Images
Gable Steveson got an NFL tryout last year with the Buffalo Bills.
If Aspinall cracks a gassing Steveson with a right hand in Round 4, and the belt’s slipping away, what will Steveson do? Will he do what we know Jones would do, and shake off the pain and reach for greatness? Or will he wonder why he ever left scripted finishes and pyrotechnics?
He hasn’t thrown a single pro punch in MMA, but he’s already a millionaire. That’s rare. But it can be dangerous, too. He’s not even 25, and he can already afford anything he’s ever wanted. That conjures up the old Marvin Hagler line about sleeping in silk sheets.
And while his stint in the minors — or the regional circuit, as it’s known in MMA — would likely be brief, he’ll have to do it. Is he willing?
Bo Nickal, an elite wrestler at Penn State already had a minor league bout when he was offered a fight on Dana White’s Contender Series on Aug. 9, 2022.
Nickal finished Zachary Borrego in 1:02 with a rear naked choke but, in one of the most ‘WTF moments’ in series history, wasn’t offered a contract.
He was offered another fight and after submitting Donovan Beard in 52 seconds with a triangle choke on Sept. 27 was signed to the UFC.
Nickal humbled himself because he wanted it. He believes he’s the best and even when he’s mocked, such as after his UFC 309 win over Paul Craig, he pushes back hard. He strapped on those four-ounce gloves and got back to work when White said the win over Borrego wasn’t enough.
The question isn’t whether Steveson can do the same. It’s whether he’s willing.
Steveson is a potential legend in the making, but he needs to show he wants it. Daniel Cormier was a two-time Olympian and an NCAA runner-up when he turned pro in MMA. He went on to become a legend in the sport.
Phil Davis was an NCAA national champion wrestler, but was a very good but hardly great MMA fighter.
Elite genetics aren’t always required. Frankie Edgar was undersized and not particularly fearsome, but he won a title and fought his way into the UFC Hall of Fame because his desire exceeded the size of the Pacific Ocean.
There are many reasons why talented athletes don’t make it in professional sports, and less talented ones do.
MMA is the ultimate truth-teller. Want to be great? Brace for punches, slams, torn muscles, severed ligaments, compressed disks, and more.
Being one of the world’s elite athletes will open the door wide.
He may well be that uber-athlete the UFC’s never had. The unanswered question is whether Gable Steveson wants to bust through that open door and prove his point.