Gable Steveson Signs with UFC for 2026 Debut

Gable Steveson, the 25-year-old Olympic gold medalist in freestyle wrestling, has signed a contract with the Ultimate Fighting Championship and will make his professional MMA debut at UFC 329 on July 11, 2026, at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The announcement came during the UFC 327 broadcast on April 11, 2026, at the Kaseya Center in Miami, where Steveson attended the event alongside former UFC champion Jon Jones.

Steveson enters the promotion with an undefeated 3-0 professional MMA record, all victories coming via first-round stoppages. His most recent win was a technical knockout against Hugo Lezama at 3:50 of the opening round on February 19, 2026, at Mexico Fight League 3. Earlier bouts included a 24-second knockout of Kevin Hein in November 2025 and a sub-two-minute stoppage of Braden Peterson in his September 2025 debut. He also secured a 15-second knockout over Billy Swanson in a Dirty Boxing Championship event between those fights. All of Steveson's MMA appearances have been at heavyweight, where he has shown striking ability to complement his elite wrestling background.

UFC President Dana White addressed Steveson's signing at the UFC 327 post-fight press conference,...