Jon Jones Says Gable Steveson Is Back Training After Brutal KO Loss
Jones says his protege is in a great headspace and already back in the gym after his 12-second knockout at UFC 331.
Not much has been heard from Gable Steveson since Sean Sharaf knocked him out in 12 seconds at UFC 331 in September. Now his mentor Jon Jones is breaking the silence.
Jones told The Schmo that Steveson is doing well and has already returned to training. "Gable's doing great. Gable's doing really, really awesome. I believe in Gable," Jones said, per Heavy.
The former UFC heavyweight and light heavyweight champion praised Steveson's character and athleticism. "He's an awesome father and an awesome husband and a great son," Jones said. "He's absolutely extraordinary. He deserves good things."
The loss to Sharaf was a stunner. Steveson, a former Olympic gold medal-winning wrestler, was a massive -2500 favorite. Sharaf was a +1000 underdog. It was over before Steveson could get started, and it was the first loss of his MMA career.
Jones put the setback in perspective, comparing it to Georges St-Pierre's shocking loss to Matt Serra early in GSP's career. "All the great fighters have had knockouts and losses," Jones said.
As for what changes going forward, Jones was candid. "I feel like, as a team, we need to add a lot more sparring," he said. He added that Steveson is "in great hands" with the right mentors and team around him.
"We believe he is going to pull back in an amazing way," Jones said. Little has been independently confirmed about Steveson's status beyond Jones's comments, but the update suggests the 26-year-old is not stepping away from the sport.
Look, I like Gable Steveson's athletic pedigree. Olympic gold medalist, freak athlete, all of it. But that loss to Sharaf was bad. Not just the result, but the way it happened. Twelve seconds, laid out cold as a -2500 favorite. That's the kind of loss that rewires your brain.
Jones comparing it to GSP-Serra is generous but not crazy. St-Pierre came back from that and became the greatest welterweight ever. The difference is GSP already had a solid MMA foundation before the Serra fight. Steveson is still building his.
The sparring comment is telling. Jones basically admitted the team wasn't putting Steveson in enough live rounds. For a guy who has never been hit clean by a real striker, that's a problem you can't fix with wrestling drills. Get him sparring, get him hit, and let him learn what it feels like before someone else does it under the lights. If the team does that, Steveson still has a ceiling most heavyweights can't touch.
