John “Bradshaw” Layfield doesn’t see an easy comeback for Gable Steveson following the Olympic champion’s shocking knockout loss at UFC 331. On September 19, Sean Sharaf knocked Steveson out just 12 seconds into their heavyweight bout at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. Despite being a heavy favorite at -2400, Steveson suffered his first professional MMA defeat, falling to a 4-1 record. CBS Sports labeled the upset as one of the biggest in UFC history.
During the September 25 episode of Something To Wrestle with Conrad Thompson, JBL commented that Steveson’s struggles outside amateur wrestling are part of a recurring pattern. “I don’t see how he bounces back. He’s tried many things. I saw him in wrestling, and he just wasn’t suited for WWE—he didn’t quite have the working or charisma skills,” JBL explained. “He’s obviously a fantastic amateur wrestler. I even saw him with Shelton Benjamin, who did everything to help him, but unfortunately, I don’t think our industry was right for him.”
Steveson signed with WWE in 2021 after winning gold in freestyle heavyweight wrestling at the Tokyo Olympics. However, his only televised WWE match was against Baron Corbin at the 2023 NXT Great American Bash, and he was released in May 2024. JBL pointed out that switching to any new sport as an adult is extremely difficult, referencing Steveson’s brief stint with football. Steveson joined the Buffalo Bills as a defensive tackle in 2024 but was cut before the regular season began.
“You see him try football, but those guys have been playing all their lives. Being a great athlete doesn’t mean you can enter wrestling, football, or anything else at age 25 and succeed. Those athletes have grown up doing it, and that’s why they reach the top,” JBL said.
In analyzing the knockout, JBL recalled advice about fighting skilled wrestlers, mentioning Eddie Guerrero’s admission that trying a leg dive on Olympic gold medalist Kurt Angle was a mistake. “If you want to fight a wrestler, punch him. You wrestle a puncher, and that’s what this fight showed,” JBL remarked. “Maybe Steveson can’t take a punch or maybe he just got caught with a devastating right. Either way, it’s hard to see where he goes from here. Being such a big favorite, coming back will be tough.”
JBL noted that Steveson’s notoriety and heel character might still earn him another UFC chance, but with little room for error. “He might get another shot due to his name and because people want to see him lose. If he gets the opportunity, he has to win, or it’s over,” he said.
When asked about Steveson’s marketability in Real American Freestyle (RAF)—where he headlined RAF 09 with a decisive 10-0 victory over Alexandr Romanov in May—JBL mentioned the dangers a fighter faces after being knocked out once. He cited former heavyweight boxing champion Wladimir Klitschko’s experience of becoming more vulnerable after an early knockout. “Any fighter will tell you that once you’ve been knocked out, it becomes easier to happen again. It’s a biological or psychological thing; I’m not sure, but it’s real,” JBL said. “If Steveson gets knocked out or beaten again, he’ll lose his drawing power. But if he wins, he still has some charisma, and people are curious to see him fight—if only to see him lose. Winning could give him a future, but if he keeps losing, he’s done.”
Steveson responded to the loss on September 22 by congratulating Sharaf and affirming his intent to keep fighting, though he did not provide a return date. He also denied a 2019 sexual assault allegation from his college days, which Sharaf referenced before the fight. Prosecutors closed the case due to insufficient evidence, according to Dice City Sports.
Steveson’s coach, former UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones, took responsibility for Steveson leaving the Octagon before the official announcement of the result, stating on X that it was his decision to take Steveson backstage immediately after the fight.
Fan Take: This development is significant for fight fans because it highlights how difficult it is for even elite amateur athletes to translate their talents into success in professional combat sports. Steveson’s journey underscores the brutal realities of MMA and professional wrestling, reminding fans that natural talent alone often isn’t enough to triumph in such highly competitive arenas.
Source: wrestlingnews.co
