Gable Steveson has made a ton of headlines in the past few weeks owing to his move to NCAA wrestling. This career move of the Olympic champion came with a lot of controversy from the community, but it didn’t deteriorate his will to compete. While he is excited to wrestle for his third NCAA title, the 24-year-old hasn’t forgotten about his endeavor in the sports that he adored, especially the NFL.

The Olympic champion in wrestling took his dive into American football after being dropped from WWE. And which was the team that took him under their wing? It was the Buffalo Bills, but as all good things come to an end, for Steveson, it eventually did. However, the wrestler didn’t hesitate to cherish the memories he made with the NFL club and also opened up about his emotions after he was released from continuing his football endeavor.

Getting his football chance with the Bills

There are not many athletes out there who tend to switch their sports frequently. But, for someone as talented as Steveson, his interests just extend beyond his professional career in wrestling. In a recent interview with Ariel Helwani on YouTube, the Olympic champion was very candid about being dropped from WWE and the NFL. The host of the show offered him a question about which league left him with a bigger impact, to which he replied, stating, “I’m not sure, maybe no answer… I think they both got a certain sting to it, and that’s about it.”

Even though his contract didn’t last much, the 24-year-old had no grudge against the Bills, as whatever time he shared with them was cherished by him. Furthermore, he revealed that the NFL club was among the two that reached out to him when he wanted to start his football endeavor, as the other one was the Miami Dolphins. But why did he make the decision to go for the Bills and not any other NFL team?

“I chose Buffalo just because I really like Sean McDermott and Brandon Beane and what the team has going on. The team is 9 and 2 right now; they just beat the Chiefs,” stated the two-time Olympic champion. He saw potential in the Bills after their impressive win against the Kansas City Chiefs, who were the winners of the last season’s Super Bowl. The Bills beat the best team in the NFL, and it was an attractive offer that Steveson could’ve just not accepted. 

Furthermore, Gable Steveson revealed that he was aware that his road to finding football success wouldn’t be an effortless task. He was taken by one of the most popular teams of the NFL, and he had to live up to the expectations of those who had put faith in him, especially Sean McDermott and Brandon Beane, the head coach and the general manager of the Bills, respectively. He was also glad to meet a great roster consisting of players like Greg Rousseau, Ed Oliver, DaQuan Jones, DeWayne Carter, and others.

“So, I knew what I signed up for, and McDermott and Brandon Beane, the GM, said, ‘Hey, we will give you the best chance; if this is the place for you, then it’s the place for you. If not, we’ll give you the playing time to at least find another home,'” stated the 24-year-old. He knew what was up to in the NFL, and even though he wasn’t able to continue his contract with the Bills, he acknowledged the efforts that were put in by him to pursue his career in the sport he took so much interest in.

Surely, he had many plans for his football career with the Bills, but the team didn’t see a future with him. It was a rough one to digest as he was getting a grasp of the sport. Currently, Steveson is focused on his NCAA wrestling endeavors but also eying to be the next big thing in the UFC after an interaction with a heavyweight champion.

Gable Steveson hints at a UFC move

It was just a few weeks ago when Gable Steveson announced that he would be returning to Minnesota to pursue his third NCAA wrestling title after such a long break. Surely, he received a lot of backlash from the community for this decision, but he’s already onto the next interest, which is to make his MMA debut. What initially spurred him to consider this potential move?

The wrestler was at a camp with the UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones, and he admitted that he was the person who ignited the spark inside him to compete in the sport. Furthermore, he stressed on the words of Jones, 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.’” So, if a person like the heavyweight champion is offering such an interesting offer, why deny it? Exactly what Steveson wanted to convey through his words, as even though there’s a huge learning curve in MMA, he is ready to dedicate his time towards it.