Jon Jones Takes Full Blame for Steveson's Cage Exit as Adesanya Tells Rookie to Log Off
Jones says pulling Steveson from the Octagon after his 12-second KO loss was his call, while Adesanya urges the rookie to stay off social media.
The mystery of Gable Steveson's vanishing act at UFC 331 has an answer, and the man behind it is Jon Jones.
Jones, who served as Steveson's cornerman for his second UFC bout, revealed that he personally escorted the Olympic gold medalist out of the Octagon immediately after Sean Sharaf's 12-second knockout. "It was my decision to take Gable straight to the back after the fight," Jones said. "Honestly it was the first time in this situation for me and my instant reaction was to get my friend to the back to make sure he was ok."
The admission clears up a controversy that had simmered since Saturday night, when cameras caught Steveson leaving the cage without the customary post-fight acknowledgment. Jones framed it as protective instinct rather than poor sportsmanship, and doubled down on his belief in Steveson's future, praising his "work ethic and will to win" and predicting he would "go on to be one of the best heavyweights in the UFC."
Former two-time middleweight champion Israel Adesanya offered blunter advice. Per LowKick MMA, Adesanya told Steveson to disconnect entirely. "He is gonna just have to weather the storm," Adesanya said. "Just log off, bro. People are gonna do all that stuff. Don't let that affect you. But then, when you log off, just be in the gym, be around your people. Keep training, man."
The combination of a devastating first-career loss and the optics of the quick exit has made Steveson an easy target online. Jones's explanation shifts some of that heat onto himself, though not everyone in the MMA community is buying the clean-up job. Either way, Steveson's path forward means proving himself inside the cage, not on the timeline.
Credit to Jon Jones for taking the bullet. Saying the cage exit was his call, that he just wanted to get his friend to the back, is the right thing to do for Gable, and I believe it. First time cornering a guy through a flatline knockout, instinct takes over. Fine.
But Matt Brown's point still stands. A corner's job in that moment is to say no, go back in there, shake his hand. The instinct to protect is good. The instinct to make the fighter look like he ran off is what the world saw, and Jones owning it does not erase the picture.
Adesanya's advice is the best thing anyone said this week. Log off. Be in the gym. Be around your people. Steveson is 26 with a gold medal and one bad night. If he takes Izzy's advice he is fine. If he spends the next month reading comments, the next loss is already on the way.
