Gable Steveson has had a wrestling career that many wrestlers can only dream of. He is, after all, a heavyweight Olympic Gold medalist from the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. After his win at Tokyo, Steveson made a move to the rings of WWE. Unfortunately, his WWE gig was an unsuccessful one. But now, he is back to try his hand at wrestling. And no, it’s not pro wrestling!

In a rather unconventional turn of events, Gable Steveson is returning to collegiate wrestling. And he is back once again with the University of Minnesota! While the excitement for the upcoming season just went up, there are also quite a few critics of the decision. The return of such athletes has brought the question of other student-athletes losing out on funds. Meanwhile, there seems to have emerged a niche voice of a former wrestler who has come out and said that maybe Steveson should have gone into a different sport and not WWE or collegiate wrestling!

Penn State’s former wrestler and MMA star Bo Nickal suggests an alternative!

Bo Nickal is no stranger to the world of wrestling. He is a three-time PSU NCAA champion who, soon after his era of collegiate brilliance, went on to switch sports. Nickal transitioned into MMA after his 2020 Olympic Trials loss to David Taylor. Since then, however, Nickal has taken the UFC world by surprise with each match. In fact, as Nikal prepares to make his UFC 209 return, he has expressed his true sentiments, much like the world, about Steveson’s return!

Nickal went on to point out how, despite the fleeting fame of WWE rings, the sport a wrestler can truly put their potential to use might be mixed martial arts! He said, “I would love to see as many high-level wrestlers as possible transition over to MMA.” And his claim is not without backing. After all, Bo has won the Dana White’s Contender Series twice. But he had more to say!

“I think the last decade, we really haven’t had the best collegiate wrestlers move into MMA. So guys like Gable Steveson, it would be amazing to see him transition over,” added Bo Nickal. The 28-year-old seems to believe that the pedagogy of having a wrestling career helped athletes conquer the MMA world. Let’s not forget Nickal’s records! He has a perfect record with six wins and no losses. And has won two fights with a knockout, with the other four by submission!

There are, of course, other names like Daniel Cormier, Josh Koscheck, and Mark Muñoz, amongst others, who have all had their roots in wrestling. However, Bo Nickal has not lost a professional fight in a long time, and he credits a lot of it to his wrestling roots. And he is not far off in thinking that Steveson might do well in MMA. But regardless of what Nickal had to say, Steveson will be moving into his last collegiate wrestling season!

Gable Steveson’s days ahead as an NCAA wrestler

Gable Steveson will be dedicating his focus to the upcoming NCAA matches. This will be his last season with Minnesota as the Gophers. He is looking at a third possible NCAA championship. Steveson, after all, has an undefeated streak. His debut match is set to happen on November 24. He will be going up against Campbell for the same. However, that’s not the most exciting match this upcoming season!

Steveson has a showdown with Penn State’s Greg Kerkvliet, who, after a perfect 20-0 season, will be looking to defend his championship title. The two have gone head to head before within the NCAA quarters and semis in 2021 and 2022. But with Kerkvliet’s rise in 2023, the rematch could be one for the ages.

For Minnesota, Gable’s return gives them a possibility of topping the NCAA charts yet again! As the last year takes its course, the world is left wondering if Gable Steveson might just be the next Bo Nickal in the making.