When Wyatt Hendrickson stunned Gable Steveson in the 2025 NCAA Wrestling Championships Finals, it may have been a turning point in both their careers. In the aftermath, the Oklahoma state representative received a call from Dana White and a personal invite to UFC 314 in Miami. And Hendrickson was happy to oblige. He showed up at his first-ever UFC event and had more than a few good things to say about Diego Lopes, who trained with him in prep for the main event. This brings us to his opponent, Gable Steveson, who has also been helping a big name MMA star in UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones.
Steveson, dubbed ‘The Golden Gabe,’ had hoped to close out his collegiate career on a high, but Hendrickson had other plans and stole the spotlight. So, what’s next for the Olympic gold medalist? He’s already dipped his toes into the NFL and WWE. Now, all signs point to MMA—and here’s the kicker: Jon Jones is reportedly the key force pushing Steveson toward the cage.
‘The Golden Gabe’ is looking to make a name for himself in the realm of combat sports after conquering the wrestling world. However, when will the former Tokyo Olympics gold medalist make his debut in the UFC, and who is training him? Well, this question was answered by Steveson himself when he was asked about his intentions for his UFC debut. “I would love to step in the Octagon, you know? I mean, that’s the best thing for me,” said Steveson.
He further added, “With the wrestling accolades, with the background, putting some striking into my game and really leveling up myself — I think it’s going to be the best idea. If you know Jon, he is one of a kind. He is a one-of-a-kind human being. He means well. I’m blessed to have him in the corner, to have him kind of guide me into the career and lead me to the right place.”
With an outstanding wrestling record and an Olympic gold medal to his name, Gable Steveson was set to make his combat sports debut by facing Craig Jones at the second edition of the Craig Jones Invitational (CJI) this August, as announced by Craig himself. However, it appears that Steveson has had a change of plans just as preparations for the event were about to begin
It’s worth noting that Jon Jones even trained alongside Gable Steveson while preparing for his bout against Stipe Miocic. The heavyweight champion later stated that Steveson’s involvement in his training camp was monumental to his victory. Likewise, Steveson believes that training alongside Jones would make his future ready for all the challenges. However, a UFC veteran would beg to differ.
Chael Sonnen believes Jon Jones is not a better influence for Gable Steveson
With a career record of 28 victories and only one defeat, which came by way of disqualification, Jon Jones is the consensus GOAT of MMA for many. A training camp with him would be more than enough for new entrants to gain invaluable knowledge and sharpen their overall MMA skills. Many believe this to be the case, however, Chael Sonnen has a few arguments against the idea.
While having a conversation on his YouTube handle, the former UFC middleweight contender emphasized that Gable Steveson should approach this sport as a pupil. “He spent some time in MMA. He even spent some time with Robbie Lawler as his coach, with those guys that right now are called KillCliff. He spent some time in Jon Jones’s camp and was in Jon Jones’s corner. Now, that’s not the kind of MMA he needs,” said Sonnen.
He further added, “He needs the kind of MMA where he is the pupil. Now, where he comes in, and he’s the head wrestling coach or, you know, he’s the cool guy with an Olympic gold medal. He needs to humble himself.” Gable Steveson does have an amazing track record in wrestling, but that’s not enough for MMA.
Chael Sonnen has one thing to ask for the up-and-coming star, and that is to take as much knowledge as possible from everyone and not be completely dependent on Jon Jones. Given that, what are your thoughts on Gable Steveson’s MMA decision? State your opinion in the comments below.
The post Plans Change as Gable Steveson Pulls Big Jon Jones UFC Move After NCAA Final Loss appeared first on EssentiallySports.