Most professional athletes who get cut from the NFL quietly fade into the unknown. But this former Buffalo Bills star didn't flinch.

Instead, he made a career announcement so big that the whole combat sports world stopped and listened.

Former Olympic gold medalist is now, officially, a signed UFC heavyweight.

During Saturday's UFC 327 broadcast, it was announced that Steveson will make his promotional debut at UFC 329 on July 11 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. His opponent has not yet been named.

Credits: IMAGO

Steveson has a perfect 3-0 professional MMA record going into the UFC Octagon, with all three wins coming by KO, including first-round knockouts in all three fights. 

He won his last fight in February against Hugo Lezama at a Mexico Fight League event. Steveson also trains with Jon Jones, a legendary UFC fighter, which shows that his camp is serious about this career path.

In May 2024, Steveson signed a three-year contract with the Buffalo Bills as a DT. He was let go in August during roster cuts. Even though his time in the NFL was short, it showed how much Steveson wanted to push himself to the limit in all areas.

Steveson is only 25 years old and has never lost as a professional. Many people think he has a good chance of winning the heavyweight title in the future.

Gable Steveson Eyes UFC Gold After WWE and NFL Detours

That contender status didn't happen overnight; it was based on one of the most successful amateur wrestling careers in recent memory. 

Steveson won 85 of 87 matches in four years at the University of Minnesota. 

He finished that run with Olympic gold at the 2020 Tokyo Games and back-to-back NCAA Division I titles in St. Louis and Detroit in 2021 and 2022, respectively. 

Few athletes his age have ever had that kind of competitive background when they first started fighting professionally.

After dominating college sports, Steveson went on to work for WWE in sports entertainment. He showed up at SummerSlam 2021 and was drafted to Monday Night Raw, but he never actually fought on the main roster. 

WWE eventually moved him to their developmental brand, NXT. His only match there, against Baron Corbin at The Great American Bash 2022, ended in a No Contest that made a lot of fans angry, effectively ending that part of his career.

Steveson made a quick turn from WWE to the NFL, signing a three-year deal with the Buffalo Bills in May 2024. He was a great athlete, but had never played football before, so the Bills let him go that August before the season started.

Steveson is now putting all of his energy into the UFC, where his wrestling skills, ability to bounce back from setbacks, and hunger for success as an amateur may be able to shine the most. At 25, Steveson is just getting started in the Octagon.

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Written by

Abhay Bharti

Edited by

Kalp Thaker