Gable Steveson: Training with UFC champ Jon Jones 'put a major spark in me' to consider MMA career

Gable Steveson is motivated to transition to MMA after training with Jon Jones.

Steveson was part of heavyweight champion Jones’ fight prep for Stipe Miocic in this past Saturday’s UFC 309 headliner at Madison Square Garden in New York. Jones finished Miocic by Round 3 TKO to retain his title.

During the UFC 309 post-fight news conference, Jones (27-1 MMA, 21-1 UFC) made a bold prediction about Steveson should he decide to pursue MMA.

“He’s going to be scary. He’s going to be very scary when he decides to do MMA,” Jones said. “He knows how to make men appear very weak – me being one of them. When he learns how to box and learns a little about jiu-jitsu, it’s not a matter of if he’ll become a UFC champion, it’s when he’ll be a UFC champion.”

After winning an Olympic gold medal in wrestling in 2020, Steveson saw careers with both the WWE and NFL cut short. But after spending some time with Jones in Albuquerque, N.M., Steveson could see himself finding success in MMA.

“After being in that camp with Jon Jones, that definitely put a major spark in me to go out there and do MMA,” Steveson said on “The Ariel Helwani Show.” “Not sure the promotion yet, but Jon definitely lit a fire under me, and was like, ‘Hey, I think you should go back to wrestling. I think you should try MMA. We have a great team out here in Albuquerque if you want to join us.’

“It was just fascinating how I got into something so quick. When I put on the gloves, everything felt like home base. With the wrestling, with the boxing, with the jiu-jitsu, I feel like I’d be very good really quick.”