Brendan Schaub thinks Gable Steveson might want to reconsider modeling himself after Jon Jones.
An Olympic gold medalist wrestler, Gable Steveson made his MMA debut last year and immediately turned heads.
In two professional fights, Steveson has two knockouts in a combined 2:02, along with a 15-second knockout in Dirty Boxing. And on top of the impressive start to his MMA career, Steveson is also working with arguably the greatest fighter to ever step into a cage, Jon Jones.
Steveson and Jones struck up a friendship when Jones brought Steveson in to serve as a wrestling partner for his fight with Stipe Miocic, and Steveson has spoken openly about wanting to follow in Jones’ footsteps in MMA. But former UFC heavyweight Brendan Schaub warns him not to follow too closely.
“There’s only one Jon Jones,” Schaub said on his YouTube channel. “So, if you go, ‘Jon, what did you do to get ready for [Alexander] Gustafsson in the first fight [at UFC 165]?’ He goes, ‘Partied. Showed up the week before, beat the shit out of him.’ I don’t know if that’s the best advice. Maybe I’m wrong, I don’t know if that’s the smartest advice. You’ve got a lot of work to do. There’s only one Jon, and that’s why he’s the GOAT. The reason why he’s the GOAT is because of what he did inside the octagon. He’s not the GOAT as far as outside the octagon.”
Jones is almost universally considered one of the greatest MMA fighters ever, but his career has also been marred by controversy, both inside and outside the cage. Jones was thrice stripped of titles in the UFC for a variety of issues, and has also had myriad legal issues, so much so that UFC commentator Joe Rogan once called him “the biggest f*ck up of all time,” and Dana White mused his story will make a great 30 for 30 episode one day. Given that, Schaub thinks it might be best if Steveson picks a different mentor to guide him.
“If you’re taking into consideration of the GOAT talk, accomplishments inside the octagon [and] outside the octagon, it’s ‘Mighty Mouse’ [Demetrious Johnson],” Schaub said. “It’s ‘Mighty Mouse,’ or it’s ‘GSP’ [Georges St-Pierre]. Those are guys that would be great mentors. Mighty Mouse, even though smaller, would be a much better mentor to advise you on, as far as how to handle fame, women, family, sponsorships, life outside the UFC, expanding your footprint as far as expanding your business reach, and stuff like that, relationship advice, game planning, how to approach a fight as a professional. I would reach out to that guy or GSP, another great one
“Inside, outside preparation, crossing your T’s, dotting your I’s, the small things that lead to winning fights, that’s the blueprint. That’s what you want to do. Jon is a wild boy, which is why it makes him one of the greatest of all time, because you’ve got to be absolutely delusional to not train for a world championship fight and think you can win it. There’s only one of him. That’s not the guy you want to listen to. …
“I guess he could tell you what not to do, which is good. But, Gable, you won a gold medal. You kind of know that stuff. I think you’d be much more advised to listen to a dude like Mighty Mouse or [Michael] Bisping. I’m talking guys that were really pro’s pros, not only inside the octagon but outside, too.”
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VIDEO STEW
Between the Links.
Maycee Barber interview.
The UFC’s 2025 Year in Review, Part 2.
Israel Adesanya and a mentalist.
SOCIAL MEDIA BOUILLABAISSE
Controversy abounds!
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FIGHT ANNOUNCEMENTS
Dan Ige (19-10) vs. Melquizael Costa (25-7) UFC Houston, Feb. 21.
FINAL THOUGHTS
A quote from Schaub that didn’t make the final write-up, but I would nonetheless like to share with y’all.
“I played football, and if Aaron Hernandez reached out to me to talk about football, I’m going to listen. But if he was like, ‘Bro, let me tell you how to deal with people you don’t like,’ I’m like, ‘Whoa! I’m all set on that, my man.’”
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