Sean Sharaf Used McGregor's Mental Warfare Playbook to Destroy Gable Steveson
Sean Sharaf revealed he studied Conor McGregor and Jon Jones before his 12-second KO of Gable Steveson at UFC 331.
Sean Sharaf came into UFC 331 as a heavy underdog on a two-fight losing streak. He left Los Angeles with a 12-second knockout of Olympic gold medalist Gable Steveson. The secret, according to Sharaf, was not in the gym. It was in the film room.
Sharaf told LowKick MMA he studied the mental warfare tactics of Conor McGregor and Jon Jones ahead of the September 19 fight. He went after Steveson's head before they ever touched gloves.
"That is a real thing," Sharaf said. "You say something before the fight, and if it irks somebody the wrong way, they're not gonna be thinking as level-headed."
At the UFC 331 press conference, Sharaf used aggressive trash talk that referenced Steveson's controversial past. The approach rattled the former wrestler. Per LowKick MMA, Steveson avoided eye contact during the faceoff and disabled comments on his social media accounts in the days leading up to the fight.
By the time they stepped into the octagon, Steveson was already compromised. Sharaf dropped him in 12 seconds, turning one of the UFC's most hyped prospects into one of its most talked-about upsets.
The win validated what McGregor and Jones have demonstrated for years: the fight starts long before the first bell. Sharaf came in prepared to win the mental battle, and Steveson had no answer for it.
This is the best underdog story in the UFC right now. Sharaf was a two-fight loser walking into the lion's den against an Olympic gold medalist, and he treated it like a chess match. He didn't just prepare physically. He went to the Conor McGregor school of getting inside your opponent's skull.
The fact that Steveson disabled his comments before the fight tells you everything. That man was shook before he even put the gloves on. When you can't handle words at a press conference, you're not ready for a fist in the octagon.
I've been saying it for years: the best fighters in this sport understand that combat starts at the presser. McGregor made a career out of it. Jones perfected it. Now Sharaf just proved a guy with nothing to lose and the right game plan can beat anyone in this sport. Twelve seconds. That's cold.
