Gable Steveson: The Olympic Champion Jumps into the Octagon
The renowned heavyweight wrestler, Gable Steveson, recognized as one of the most dominant athletes of his generation, has confirmed his professional debut in mixed martial arts.
Steveson, 25 years old, will face Braden Peterson at the LFA 217 event, scheduled for September 12 in Minnesota, his home state. The event will take place at the Mystic Lake Casino Hotel and will be broadcast via UFC Fight Pass.
LFA, one of the leading regional organizations in the United States, is known for being a talent incubator for MMA, regularly providing athletes to the UFC.
In 2020, Steveson made history by becoming the youngest Olympic gold medalist in the freestyle heavyweight division, achieving this feat at 21 years old. During his time at the University of Minnesota, Steveson was consecrated as a two-time NCAA Division I champion, two-time winner of the Dan Hodge trophy, and five-time All American.
His path to the 2025 NCAA championship culminated in a surprising defeat to Wyatt Hendrickson of Oklahoma State University. Steveson was leading the match until Hendrickson secured the first takedown of the season against the wrestler.
In recent years, Steveson has been seen in the MMA world, including training with former UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones before his last fight in 2024. He has also trained at Syndicate MMA in Las Vegas. His opponent, Peterson (1-0), is a 37-year-old fighter from Montana, who earned a knockout victory in July in just 14 seconds.
