UFC 331 was a clinical night for fans, but for Sean Sharaf, it turned into a potential star-making event. As the story goes by now, Sharaf shocked the world when he knocked out Gable Steveson in just 12 seconds. The 2020 Olympic gold medalist was caught by a brutal left hook and sent crashing to the canvas in the opening round.
The win was massive, especially considering Sharaf entered the fight with a 0-2 UFC record. Steveson was also a massive -2400 favorite on some betting sites, with almost nobody expecting the result. On top of that, the verbal war between the two during the pressers, where Sharaf highlighted Steveson’s troubled legal history, added even more fuel to the story.
All of that sounds like the perfect launching pad for Sharaf, right? Well, not exactly. The heavyweight is looking at his stunning victory as more of a perfect ending. Just weeks after the biggest win of his career, Sharaf is already contemplating retirement from MMA.
Sean Sharaf Questions Continuing His MMA Journey After Beating Gable Steveson at UFC 331
During a recent appearance on the JRE MMA Show #186, Sharaf opened up about potentially retiring for good following his UFC 331 upset. He said, “I just have been going through this whole week with interviews, and I’m so exhausted like I just want to go to a mountain or to the desert and take some mushrooms with my dog and process what is going on.”
Rogan agreed with the heavyweight and suggested that a temporary break might be a good idea. He pointed out that some moments can become a fighter’s defining statement, especially if they fail to build on them. According to Rogan, a huge win should ultimately be a stepping stone toward becoming a world-class fighter and chasing championships rather than just being remembered as one big moment.
Sharaf then explained why he never really entered MMA with championship aspirations. He said, “Everyone’s making it seem like this was just a f**king lucky punch, one shot… And, like, so this is my thing. I’ve always taken my journey fight by fight. I didn’t… Like, I got out the Marine Corps, and I was like, ‘Hey, I wanna be a UFC fighter.’ And it wasn’t like, ‘Oh, I wanna be a champion.’ It was just like, I just wanted to be in the organization and wear the uniform and just be able to say I did that.”
Sharaf believes he may have already achieved the biggest moment of his life and questioned whether he could ever top it.
He explained, “And the fact that I just lost at, like, those two times, it’s like they gave me the uniform, but it didn’t feel like it. And so now, like, to do this, the people are saying possibly the biggest upset in history against all odds. I’m like, ‘Bro, like, can I beat that? Like, do I? You leave the table when you’re up. That’s what they say, you know?”
Sean Sharaf look thoughtfully for retirement after massive UFC 331 upset over Gable Steveson
“Everyone’s making it seem like this was just a fucking lucky punch, one shot… Can I beat that? Like, do I… leave the table when you’re up, that’s what they say… What am I doing it… pic.twitter.com/8fUP20lkuz
— Red Corner MMA (@RedCorner_MMA) October 1, 2026
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Rogan then asked Sharaf directly if he was seriously considering walking away from MMA. The heavyweight didn’t shy away from the possibility. He said, “I’m not gonna lie. I told Micah, the psych at the PI, I told Sergey, my training partner, I told Gokor, I told all these guys. I was like, ‘hey bro, if I win this fight, the way I am visualizing it, I might be good with that.”
Sharaf explained that his thoughts on retirement also stem from everything he had gone through to reach this point. He had no sponsors heading into the fight, while his training camp and corner came together through a scramble. He also revealed that new MRI scans of his head showed some type of damage, adding another reason for him to question whether continuing to fight was worth the risk.
Sharaf was reportedly nearly $688,000 in debt heading into UFC 331. While his official UFC 331 payment was initially listed at $60,000, the UFC still found a way to reward him for his stunning upset.
Sharaf received a $50,000 “Mobland” promotional “Chaos” bonus, which Dana White said he would personally match with another $50,000. He also earned an additional $25,000 finish bonus, bringing his total UFC 331 earnings to $185,000.
However, the heavyweight confirmed after the bout that he still plans to file for bankruptcy and remains unsure about what comes next. With Sharaf already questioning whether he can top the biggest moment of his career, fans are now left wondering if they have already seen the last of Sean Sharaf inside the Octagon.
Kshitiz Kumar Singh is a UFC Writer at NY Fights with over three years of experience in sports journalism and content creation. Known for his sharp storytelling and passion for combat sports, he has written in-depth features on stars like Brock Lesnar, Randy Couture, and Ilia Topuria. Before joining NY Fights, Kshitiz worked as a UFC Editor at EssentiallySports while currently serving as a WWE Editor at FirstSportz. His admiration for legends like Georges St-Pierre continues to inspire his detailed and engaging MMA coverage. Whether he’s covering the Octagon or the squared circle, Kshitiz is committed to delivering accurate, high-quality content. Outside the world of sports, he’s a dedicated cinephile, often found practicing monologues from his favorite Al Pacino films, combining his love for cinema with storytelling.
