Gable Steveson, a U.S. Olympic gold medalist and former WWE star, has signed a deal with UFC.
News of his signing was announced during the UFC 327 broadcast on Saturday (April 11). The promotion also shared that he’s expected to make his debut at UFC 329 on July 11.
Steveson, 25, won gold in freestyle wrestling at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo [held in 2021 due to postponement cause
by the COVID-19 pandemic]. Weeks later, he made an appearance at SummerSlam before WWE announced in September, 2021, they had signed Steveson to a contract, making him the second Olympic gold medalist signed by WWE after Kurt Angle.
He continued to wrestle for the University of Minnesota, though he turned up at WrestleMania 38 in April 2022 and got physical with Chad Gable. His official WWE debut came under the NXT brand in a July, 2023, match against Baron Corbin at the Great American Bash that ended in a double countout and received a mostly negative response from fans in attendance.
Steveson was released from WWE in May 2024. He later returned to the University of Minnesota to continue his amateur wrestling career, which he ended as a two-time national champion and three-time Big Ten conference champion.
During a press conference to announce his return to University of Minnesota wrestling in November 2024, Steveson kept the door open to a WWE return.
“The WWE, just wasn’t the right time. I had a lot of competitive edge in me and they knew that and it was just — it was not the time for it and so maybe one day if the stars are aligned, it’ll be a great opportunity to do it again,” he said at the press conference. “I have no bad feelings with it, I have no bad blood with it and I would like to keep moving forward with everything I have going on…”
While he was undoubtedly a star in college, he also found himself in controversy while at the University of Minnesota. In 2019, Steveson and a teammate on the school’s wrestling team were arrested on suspicion of sexual assault, but it was determined several months later that the two would not face criminal charges due to a lack of sufficient evidence.
After his release from WWE and before his return to the University of Minnesota, Steveson attempted a career in professional football. In 2024, he signed a contact with the Buffalo Bills to play as a defensive lineman but was released before the start of that year’s NFL season.
Last month, Steveson signed a contract for multiple matches with Real American Freestyle (RAF), and he is scheduled to compete at RAF 09 on May 30.
Steveson has competed in mixed martial arts (MMA) before, and he has a perfect 3-0 record for promotions outside of UFC.
What do you think about Gable Steveson’s latest career move? Let us know in the comments.
