Gable Steveson isn’t easing into MMA. He’s hurtling into it with the force of a man possessed. While some rising stars pick comfort and familiarity, the Olympic gold medalist has made it clear. He’s ready to be uncomfortable. And where better to test your limits than the land of combat legends. Dagestan. But what’s raised eyebrows isn’t just the location, it’s who he’s heading there for. The American heavyweight sensation is now aligning with Russia’s most dominant force in freestyle wrestling, and it may just be the most calculated risk of his career.
So who is Steveson aligning with? Well, it’s none other than Abdulrashid Sadulaev. Steveson revealed the shocking collaboration during a brief yet revealing appearance at the Dirty Boxing 2 event. He was spotted ringside soaking in the chaos and precision of elite-level striking and grappling. But beneath the surface of his relaxed presence, something bigger was brewing. The WWE standout didn’t hold back when he spoke to the media, hinting at a seismic shift in his career path. And the depths he’s willing to explore to master MMA.
“There’s a guy named Abdulrashid Sadulaev. He’s a 97-kilogram two-time Olympic champion,” Steveson shared. “He reached out to me. He reached out about me to come on to Dagestan and help him train for this year’s world championship.” His voice was filled with a mix of excitement and respect. “So maybe I’ll be in Dagestan. They’re gonna send me to Dagestan for two-three weeks and forget. But you can’t send somebody Dagestani for two to three weeks, who already knows how to wrestle,” Steveson jokingly added. The synergy between Steveson and Sadulaev could be the beginning of something massive.
With Sadulaev now training alongside UFC contender Khamzat Chimaev, the entire Dagestani camp appears to be a boiling pot of high-level wrestling and MMA transition. For Steveson, the timing couldn’t be better. His future in the UFC has been whispered about for years, and now those whispers are beginning to roar. His upcoming stint in Dagestan might be the final brushstroke on a new canvas. One where he isn’t just a decorated wrestler, but a feared mixed martial artist.
While most athletes transition to MMA with coaches and training partners they’ve known for years, Steveson is tearing that playbook apart. He’s chasing discomfort, searching for levels of grit few dare to reach. And teaming up with a legend like Sadulaev, on Sadulaev’s home turf, sends a clear message: Gable Steveson isn’t just preparing to enter the cage. He’s preparing to take over. And this is not the first instance of Steveson collaborating with UFC talents. Having a good rapport with Jon Jones, Steveson revealed what sparked in him interest to join the UFC.
Jon Jones lights fire in Gable Steveson to chase UFC dream
When Gable Steveson stepped into Jon Jones’ fight camp, he wasn’t just there to help. He was there to discover. The Olympic wrestling champion, once caught between uncertain stints in WWE and the NFL, found something unexpected in Albuquerque: a spark. That fire, ignited in the presence of one of MMA’s greatest, has Steveson seriously considering a shift into the UFC cage.
Training alongside Jones as the heavyweight champ prepared for his UFC 309 title defense against Stipe Miocic, Steveson felt something click. “After being in that camp with Jon Jones, that definitely put a major spark in me to go out there and do MMA,” he admitted on The Ariel Helwani Show. The experience was more than physical, it was a mindset shift. The gloves felt natural. The environment, electric. “It was just fascinating how I got into something so quick,” he said. Steveson further stated, “With the wrestling, with the boxing, with the jiu-jitsu, I feel like I’d be very good really quick.”
Jones clearly saw the same potential. Speaking after his dominant third-round TKO win at Madison Square Garden, the reigning champ didn’t hold back on Steveson’s upside. “He’s going to be scary. He’s going to be very scary when he decides to do MMA,” Jones declared. While Steveson hasn’t confirmed a promotion yet, the seeds are firmly planted. With Jones encouraging him to return to his roots and step into the octagon, Gable Steveson now stands at the edge of a new beginning, one where the mat leads straight to the cage.
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