Tag: gable steveson

Video: UFC’s Jon Jones Trains with Olympic Gold Medalist, Ex-WWE Star Gable Steveson

UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones enlisted the help of Olympic gold medalist and former WWE wrestler Gable Steveson as he trains for his comeback fight…

UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones enlisted the help of Olympic gold medalist and former WWE wrestler Gable Steveson as he trains for his comeback fight…

Bo Nickal Reveals Why He Didn’t Step Up To Wrestle Gable Steveson

UFC middleweight prospect Bo Nickal recently shed light on why he never wrestled Olympic gold medalist Gable Steveson in his NCAA days. The three-time NCAA Division I Champion actually did have the chance to wrestle Steveson back in 2018. At that point…

UFC middleweight prospect Bo Nickal recently shed light on why he never wrestled Olympic gold medalist Gable Steveson in his NCAA days. The three-time NCAA Division I Champion actually did have the chance to wrestle Steveson back in 2018. At that point, Steveson had not yet quite reached the all-round skill and strength he ultimately…

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Scott Coker Is Keen To Build Gable Steveson Into An MMA “Megastar”

Despite Gable Steveson’s WWE signing, Bellator CEO Scott Coker is still keen to have a conversation with the Olympic gold medalist, suggesting he wants to make the 21-year-old into an MMA “megastar.” Steveson became the hottest free agent in combat sports in the summer. At the delayed Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, the Indiana native claimed […]

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Despite Gable Steveson’s WWE signing, Bellator CEO Scott Coker is still keen to have a conversation with the Olympic gold medalist, suggesting he wants to make the 21-year-old into an MMA “megastar.”

Steveson became the hottest free agent in combat sports in the summer. At the delayed Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, the Indiana native claimed the top spot of the podium in freestyle wrestling after defeating three-time and reigning world champion Geno Petriashvili. He also beat defending Olympic champion Taha Akgül earlier in the competition.

Following his success in Japan, Steveson’s stock rose exponentially. Riding it as well as he could, the surging combat star embarked on tour around various promotion’s that were after his signature. That included an appearance at Bellator 265 last month.

Ahead of the event, it was no secret that Coker wanted to bring Steveson to his promotion. Despite the competition for the free agent, the 58-year-old suggested Bellator was the best home for the wrestling sensation. He also revealed that contact had already been made with Steveson’s management team.

In the end, it was the WWE who landed the heavily sought after signature. Following an appearance at WWE SummerSlam, as well as a picture with chairman Vince McMahon, it seemed a move to professional wrestling was inevitable. But despite the battle for Steveson seemingly being completed, Coker isn’t ready to give up yet.

In a recent interview with The Schmo, the Bellator kingpin questioned whether Steveson’s WWE agreement prevented him from competing in MMA. The South Korean-born promoter suggested a conversation with the future star is needed in order to establish whether Bellator can have the opportunity to make him into a superstar.

“Yeah, I mean, listen, we would love to have another conversation with him. I’m not sure what his obligations are now with pro wrestling after he finishes collegiate wrestling, so we’ll have a conversation with him. But yeah, if he’s available to do both, we would do it in a second because I think we have some great, fun matchups here. And listen, we are very good star-builders and star-identifiers. I think this kid’s gonna be a star. I think we have a great program to build him to a megastar that can really fight in MMA. But it’s gonna be up to him.”

Despite also receiving interest from the UFC and the Minnesota Vikings, Steveson followed in the footsteps of Brock Lesnar and Kurt Angle, putting pen to paper on a deal with professional wrestling’s biggest company.

While his immediate future may lie in the WWE, it remains to be seen whether Steveson will try his hand in the Octagon once his stardom has grown even more.

Do you think Gable Steveson should begin a career in mixed martial arts with Bellator MMA?

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Steveson Says He’s Received Hate From MMA Fans After WWE Signing

Gable Steveson has revealed the hate he’s received online for choosing to sign with the WWE instead of a venture into mixed martial arts. Steveson’s future was one of the hottest topics of the summer. The 21-year-old’s stock rapidly rose after he won gold at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games. In the freestyle wrestling discipline, […]

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Gable Steveson has revealed the hate he’s received online for choosing to sign with the WWE instead of a venture into mixed martial arts.

Steveson’s future was one of the hottest topics of the summer. The 21-year-old’s stock rapidly rose after he won gold at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games. In the freestyle wrestling discipline, Steveson defeated three-time and reigning World Champion Geno Petriashvili to secure his place on the top step of the podium.

In the months that followed his Olympic success, Steveson teased a move to various sports and promotions. Making the most of free agency, the newest combat sports sensation turned up at Bellator 265, appeared at a PFL event, and turned heads with a segment at WWE SummerSlam last month. He even flirted with a potential signing with the UFC.

But on September 4, Steveson finalized his immediate future. After productive conversations with Vince McMahon, the promising young athlete chose to join the WWE. And despite remaining open to a stint on MMA’s biggest stage later down the line, Steveson told Ariel Helwani on a recent episode of The MMA Hour that he’s committed to the WWE.

“As of right now, I’m 100% WWE. And I will forever probably be. It would be cool to hold the UFC belt, like I said before. I know there’s a lot of people on Twitter, ‘Oh, he’s soft. He didn’t want to go to the UFC right away.’ But I want to pave my own way. I don’t want to follow what no one else does. I don’t even read Twitter comments anymore. They’re just terrible.”

When asked about the negative comments he’s received on Twitter, Steveson revealed the amount of hate he’s received for favoring a move into professional wrestling over MMA. But like many Olympic wrestlers before him, the Indiana native believes he can capture UFC gold in the future.

“I’m just getting a lot of hate, you know? People are just like, ‘Oh, you want to go here and do this instead of actually fighting somebody? You’re soft.’ But you know how it goes. It’s typical haters. But I mean, if that time came, I would love to fight. I secured the Olympic gold in wrestling….why not go out there and get the UFC belt?”

After Gable Steveson announced his decision, the UFC’s plans for him had the promotion secured his signing were revealed. Reports suggest the 21-year-old would have been taken on board through a developmental deal. Similar to the agreement signed by Greg Hardy in 2018, the signing would have seen Steveson compete on the regional circuit before competing to earn a contract on Dana White’s Contender Series.

But unaware of those potential plans, Steveson followed the advice of the likes of Daniel Cormier. “DC” had suggested that his fellow wrestler’s best chance at success was to follow the “Brock Lesnar approach.” According to the former two-division UFC champion, Steveson should make the switch to the UFC once he has made his name and increased his value in the WWE.

With the first part of that plan now in motion, it remains to be seen whether the bright prospect will enter the Octagon further into his career.

Who do you think Gable Steveson should have signed for? Do you agree with his decision to put pen to paper with WWE?

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Gable Steveson Remains Unsure What The UFC Had Planned For Him

After choosing a new home in the WWE, Gable Steveson had no idea that the UFC had plans to include him in the Contender Series or place him on a developmental deal. As part of the new WWE team, Steveson isn’t entirely sure why things with UFC pre…

After choosing a new home in the WWE, Gable Steveson had no idea that the UFC had plans to include him in the Contender Series or place him on a developmental deal. As part of the new WWE team, Steveson isn’t entirely sure why things with UFC president Dana White didn’t move forward. As the […]

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