Jon Jones’ protégé, Gable Steveson, is the next big name in MMA, and while the 25-year-old hasn’t signed with the UFC yet, he’s arguably the most talked about heavyweight fighter in the world right now.
While Jones recently hinted at a possible retirement and would not be joining the octagon again, he’s preparing Steveson and has big plans for the latter.
For the unversed, Gable Steveson is an Olympic wrestling gold medalist, two-time NCAA Division I national champion and five-time All-American. He also has several other awards. Steveson made his MMA debut last year at LFA 217 against Braden Peterson and won via technical knockout in the first round.
Later that year he faced Kevin Hein and achieved another first round victory. Stevenson currently has a professional MMA record of 2-0 and will face Hugo Lezama (11-3) at MFL 3 later this month.
Jon Jones Says Gable Steveson Will ‘Destroy’ Other Heavyweights
According to Jon Jones, the rising MMA star will be a UFC champion by this time next year. ‘Bones’ recently confessed that Steveson is a better athlete than he was early in his career, and the 25-year-old is going to ‘wreak havoc’ in the UFC heavyweight division. In a recent interview with Helen Yee SportsJones said:
‘He is [Gable Steveson] unbelievable. He’s an incredible athlete, man. He is much more disciplined and dedicated than I ever was at his age, and I’m scared. I fear for the future of the UFC. Like he’s going to destroy everything. He’s going to destroy people.”
The former two-division UFC champion added that Gable Steveson has everything a fighter needs to become a champion, and the latter will take the UFC heavyweight title in 2027.
“This time next year I saw it happen [Gable Steveson becoming UFC champ]. Once he signs with the UFC, he will be unstoppable. He can strike, and I think that’s his weakness right now. His wrestling is just through the roof. His takedowns are unstoppable, his ground and pound are effective, his sense of knowing where his body is at all times. He just has it all. And once he really learns what he’s doing, it won’t be fair.
However, Jon Jones also added that he needs to prepare the 25-year-old and get him settled in before he enters the octagon. So UFC fans will have to wait a little longer.
“Right now we have goals outside of the UFC. We want to get him established so that when he gets to the UFC, he has no questions about what he’s capable of.”
Watch Jon Jones’ comments below (1:58):
The UFC’s heavyweight division feels like it’s losing its spark. Champion Tom Aspinall is sidelined with an eye injury. Besides Aspinall, Ciryl Gane, Waldo Cortes-Acosta, Sergei Pavlovich and a few others, fans have repeatedly criticized the athleticism of the division.
Since Jon Jones is unlikely to ever return, perhaps his disciple could help revive a division that once flourished.
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