Gable Steveson, the hottest UFC prospect in years, who arrived at the promotion with a past marked by a sexual assault allegation, got knocked out by a nobody in 12 seconds on Saturday in Los Angeles. Dana White sure knows how to pick ‘em.
Steveson, an NCAA legend and Olympic gold medalist in wrestling, was given a slot on the main card in just his second UFC fight. That fast-tracking now looks absolutely foolish. Mere moments into the fight, Steveson walked into a straight right hand to the chin from Sean Sharaf, previously winless as a UFC heavyweight, which was followed instantly by a nuclear left hook to the jaw. The precise and savage 1-2 left Steveson unconscious before he hit the mat. Steveson seemed on the verge of adopting the fencing response on the canvas before referee Frank Trigg jumped in to protect him. Steveson’s night, and his status as White's chosen one, were done.
The result is being called the third-fastest KO in UFC heavyweight history, and stands among the biggest MMA upsets of all time in any weight class.
In the days leading up to the fight, the talk around Steveson was less about his amateur wrestling glories than a rape allegation he faced as a teenager at the University of Minnesota.
“Nobody likes a rapist!” Sharaf blurted out at the main press conference promoting the fight.
In June 2019, a fellow UMN student went to police and accused Steveson and a wrestling teammate of sexual assault. Steveson, who was suspended by the university when the allegations were made, asserted his innocence, and no criminal charges were ever brought against him or his teammate. But while announcing there would be no prosecution, Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman indicated that the blood alcohol level of the accuser, who went to the hospital after the incident, factored into his decision not to move forward with the case. Freeman declared that his office was hamstrung by Minnesota law, which didn’t factor in that a victim’s intoxication could impair his or her ability to consent to sexual activity, except in cases where the impairment came from being unwittingly drugged. While declining to prosecute, Freeman insinuated that Steveson, who turned 19 years old a week before the alleged assault, would be in much more trouble for the same conduct had it happened in neighboring Wisconsin.
Steveson, whose parents named him after 1970s NCAA and Olympic wrestling champ Dan Gable (his middle name is “Dan”), was reinstated to the school team, and went on to win two NCAA championships at UMN, plus a gold medal in freestyle wrestling in the 125 kg class in the pandemic-delayed Olympics in Japan.
In 2021, Governor Tim Walz signed a bill that closed what was called the "voluntary intoxication" loophole in Minnesota’s state code.
The allegations didn’t stop White this spring from signing Steveson, who while making the jump from amatuer wrestling to MMA was mentored by the former UFC heavyweight champ Jon Jones, and immediately booking the new guy to major events. Steveson was among the most hyped additions to the UFC stable since fellow superstar UMN wrestler Brock Lesnar. Rumors after the signing held that White would give Steveson his UFC coming-out party as part of the White House fight card, given his Team USA bona fides. And Steveson lobbied for a spot. But for undisclosed reasons no such invite was extended.
Sharaf, also a newcomer to UFC, came off more as a carnival barker than a righteous defender of sexual assault victims while calling attention to Steveson’s past to promote their fight. He interrupted Gable, for example, to call him “Loophole” in reference to the lack of prosecution. Sharaf insinuated that Steveson was kept off the White House card because of the 2019 incident. Sharaf’s cynical PR strategy worked wonders. Fans at the press conference laughed and cheered Sharaf as he brought up Gable’s legal past. And the crowd in the arena on Saturday booed Gable vigorously as he made his ring walk, accompanied by mentor Jones.
Sharaf was a massive underdog (24-1 on some services) by fight night. That makes sense, given Sharaf’s dubious history in the UFC cage; in his 2024 debut he was KO’d in the second round by Junior Tafa, an unregarded Australian light heavyweight and loser of three of previous four fights. Late last year, in his only other UFC bout before this weekend, Sharaf was stopped again by Steven Asplund. Sharaf was only installed on the main card in L.A. to lose to Steveson.
But, that’s why they fight the fights. Steveson’s shocker loss comes just two months after Conor McGregor, the most famous adjudicated sexual assaulter in the UFC stable, lost yet again in quick and absurd fashion during another failed comeback attempt.
Steveson fled the cage immediately upon regaining his senses from Sharaf's blows, even before the winner's hand was raised. Daniel Cormier, former UFC champ turned color commentator, tagged Steveson an “ungrateful loser” on his walk out of the arena, accompanied by Jones and one last round of boos.
