During the UFC 327 broadcast, it was announced that Gable Steveson has officially signed with the promotion and is expected to make his Octagon debut during this year’s International Fight Week. The Olympic gold medalist already holds a 3-0 MMA record and is widely regarded as one of the most accomplished heavyweight wrestlers of his generation.
He is a two-time NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships winner at the University of Minnesota and now trains alongside Jon Jones. With the 265 lbs division already in flux following the UFC 321 main event between undisputed champion Tom Aspinall and Ciryl Gane, Steveson’s arrival is being viewed as a major boost for the division. Unsurprisingly, discussions about his immediate title potential have quickly taken center stage.
That narrative gained further traction when former UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley made a bold claim about Steveson’s readiness for gold. Speaking in a recent interview with talkSPORT BET, Woodley didn’t hold back in his assessment of a potential matchup with Aspinall.
He said, “He can do it this year if he wants to. Tom Aspinall will get tortured by Gable right now. Tom looked sloppy against Ciryl Gane before he got poked in the eye.”
Woodley went on to highlight Steveson’s elite wrestling pedigree and evolving striking ability. He added, “Gable has got powerful hands. All his fights are finishes. He has crazy wrestling, crazy athletic ability. He’s hungry. You think he’s still happy about losing the NCAA championship in the last three seconds? Hell no. I don’t see a matchup in the UFC now at heavyweight that he does not win.”
While bold, Woodley’s assessment isn’t entirely without basis. Steveson has already developed a reputation for his finishing ability, and training alongside Jones has only accelerated his transition into MMA.
Moreover, Steveson already believes he can compete with the division’s elite, including Aspinall and top contenders like Alex Pereira and Ciryl Gane. For those unfamiliar, the American most recently scored a first-round finish over Hugo Lezama at an event in Mexico earlier this year. Before making his official UFC debut, Steveson is set to face UFC veteran Alexandr Romanov at RAF 09 on May 30 at College Park Center in Texas.
At just 25 years old, Steveson has already built a resume that rivals some of the best in combat sports. In addition to his 2020 Olympic gold medal, he repeated as NCAA heavyweight champion and was named NCAA Wrestler of the Year for the University of Minnesota in 2022 before initially stepping away from wrestling.
He later returned briefly to competition following a stint with WWE and even pursued an NFL opportunity, signing with the Buffalo Bills as a defensive lineman in an attempt to become the 16th Olympic gold medalist to appear in an NFL regular season game. However, he was released before the season began.
Steveson then returned to amateur wrestling, using a fifth year of eligibility at Minnesota, where he finished as the 2025 NCAA heavyweight runner-up to Wyatt Hendrickson of Oklahoma State University. Later that year, he transitioned fully into MMA, making a successful debut under Legacy Fighting Alliance in September, followed by additional victories in November and February.
If Steveson can eventually dethrone Aspinall, he would join an elite group of Olympic gold medalists who have captured UFC titles, including Ronda Rousey (bronze in judo, 2008), Kayla Harrison (gold in judo, 2012 and 2016), and Henry Cejudo (gold in wrestling, 2008). Meanwhile, the current champion remains sidelined. Aspinall is recovering from double eye surgery earlier this year, a procedure required to repair damage sustained from eye pokes during his bout with Gane last October.
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.