NCAA Coach Gets Honest Over Gable Steveson’s UFC Future Despite Wrestling Return

Gable Steveson has become the center of attention in college wrestling, and his return to the NCAA has sparked significant controversy. Already a two-time NCAA champion and an Olympic gold medalist, Steveson’s decision to come back to college wrestling after achieving so much in the sport has raised a lot of eyebrows. But Steveson isn’t just focused on wrestling; he’s also setting his sights on a future in the UFC, after spending valuable time with key figures in the mixed martial arts world.

His career choices have prompted questions from the wrestling community, with many wondering about his multi-sport ambitions. Currently, Steveson is signed with Minnesota, where he continues to compete in the NCAA under head coach Brandon Eggum. Despite Steveson’s aspirations beyond wrestling, Eggum has shown nothing but support for his athlete, acknowledging the importance of Steveson’s dreams and expressing his ambitions for the wrestler’s future.

What is next for Gable Steveson?

Gable Steveson’s addition to the Gophers has been beneficial for the team. They have been on the brighter side of the NCAA with their recent matches, as the junior wrestlers in the team are getting anchored by the Olympic champion. Surely, there’s a different spectrum on his comeback out there, but eventually, he’s been a big asset to the rise of Minnesota in the rankings. 

Gophers head coach Brandon Eggum has always been a big fan of Steveson. In fact, it was Eggum who reached out to the Olympic champion, offering advice on his wrestling comeback and ultimately convincing him to join the Gophers. While Steveson has been impactful in the recent bouts on the mat, Eggum is aware of his off-wrestling adventures, which he revealed during an interview with FloWrestling, stating, “I think it could be good training for him if he decides to go a different path, meaning MMA.”

Personally, the Gophers head coach has no problem with Steveson’s aspirations in different sports. But why is that? According to Eggum, Steveson should head into combat sports like UFC for his training. However, he also provided a piece of vital information on the future of the 24-year-old, stating, “From my end, I talked to him and said ‘I’d love to see him wrestle for the U.S. and win a couple more World titles and maybe another Olympic title.”

Eggum isn’t playing any games here. He’s serious about the candidate he has recruited for his team. The Gophers head coach is aware of the wrestler who has won two NCAA titles with them and even an Olympic gold medal for the United States. However, he’s looking forward to Steveson repeating these feats once again on the bigger stages of the sport.

Despite the high expectations placed on the 24-year-old, he remains committed to his aspirations in other sports, particularly the UFC. Recently, he met with a big name in the industry, who completely changed his perspective towards the sport.

Steveson describes his time with the UFC heavyweight champion

Gable Steveson found time to attend a training camp amidst the NCAA season, meeting Jon Jones. “After being in that camp with Jon Jones, that definitely put a major spark in me to go out there and do MMA. Not sure about the promotion yet. But Jon definitely lit a fire in me,” Steveson remarked about his interaction with the UFC heavyweight champion during his interview with Ariel Helwani on YouTube.

The 24-year-old believes that there’s still time for him to move to the UFC, and until then he wants to get a grasp of the sport. Furthermore, he revealed how the consensus MMA GOAT fueled him with motivation to compete in the sport, stating, “He was like ‘Hey, I think you should go back to wrestling, I think you should try MMA, we have a great team out here in Albuquerque if you want to join us.'”

Steveson also acknowledged that his experience in a multitude of disciplines like wrestling, boxing, and jiu-jitsu helped him quickly grasp the fundamentals of MMA. Currently, he is fully focused on his NCAA adventure, but he isn’t letting go of his aspirations for the UFC. What do you think about the 24-year-old’s future? Tell us in the comment section below!