Olympic gold medalist and two-time NCAA champion Gable Steveson says his path in combat sports has reached a new stage. Even after signing a multi-match deal with Real American Freestyle, where he plans to debut May 30 at RAF 9 in Dallas, the 25-year-old American is openly targeting the UFC.
Even with his next appearance booked for May 30 in Dallas, Gable Steveson is making it clear where he ultimately wants to land. The 25-year-old Olympic wrestling gold medalist and former NCAA star says he is now fully committed to MMA and believes a UFC contract could come at any moment.
“I’ll have a few matches in RAF, but I’m already telling everyone: I’m fully an MMA fighter now. I want to keep competing in wrestling — that remains my foundation — but I’ve got good news: I can sign with the UFC any day,” Steveson said.
Steveson, who is 3-0 in MMA with all three wins coming by first-round knockout, views his run in Real American Freestyle as a chance to remind people just how dominant he still is in wrestling and on the mat. For American fight fans, that is the real intrigue here: he is not entering MMA as a raw crossover athlete, but as a decorated heavyweight talent with elite pedigree and real finishing power.
If Steveson does make the jump, he would instantly become one of the more closely watched developmental heavyweights tied to the UFC pipeline. The division is always looking for new athletes with upside, and his background gives him a ceiling that few prospects can match. At the same time, he still has to prove that his wrestling dominance can hold up against more experienced mixed martial artists once the level of competition rises.
“I can still wrestle at the highest level, and I remain one of the best ever. But the UFC belt means more than anything to me,” he added.
According to Steveson, a call from the sport’s biggest promotion could come at any time, and he says he is fully prepared for it. “It’ll be crazy when they call me and offer me a UFC fight. But I’m ready. They can call any day. Any day,” Steveson said.
For now, all eyes shift to RAF 9 in Dallas, where Steveson gets another chance to build momentum — and maybe force the UFC to make that call sooner rather than later.
