Gable Steveson is not treating his second UFC walk as a mystery. In an official UFC.com fight-week feature published ahead of Crypto.com UFC 331, the 26-year-old heavyweight prospect looked back on his July debut and ahead to Sean Sharaf at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles — and he sounded like someone who already knows what he wants to fix.
His first Octagon night came against Elisha Ellison at UFC 329 in Las Vegas on July 11, 2026. UFC.com’s E. Spencer Kyte frames it as a first-round stoppage win, and Steveson’s own take was blunt: the night went well for a first time on the big stage, but the tape still had work in it.
“I think the fight went great for a first time on the big stage,” Steveson said. “Were there a lot of things that can be corrected? Of course, and I’m always gonna soak up everything like a sponge and try to be the best athlete that I possibly can… My main takeaways are to just stay more active, know when to get out, know when to stay in; approach the fire with caution and just try not to get hit with anything sloppy or cheap and keep moving the way I have been… He caught me with a couple; I think there were one or two he got me with. It’s just another hit on the chin and you take it and keep pushing forward.”
The style he keeps chasing is familiar to anyone who watched Daniel Cormier lean on people. Steveson said he wants that same pressure — and a clearer version of it against Sharaf.
“I try to emulate my style after (Daniel) Cormier and be a pressure fighter, just go after them; keep it moving and keep the guys on edge. I feel like I did a great job with that and Saturday I’ll do that even better but also know when to adapt and change; know when to throw in something new… I’m excited for Saturday and for people to see a whole new version of Gable Steveson again.”
That “again” matters for the timeline. Before the UFC, Steveson made three regional appearances, then signed and debuted in the summer. A separate UFC.com “Fighters on the Rise” piece ahead of the same card noted the unbeaten heavyweight prospect’s two NCAA Division I titles and Olympic gold on the wrestling mats, three straight first-round finishes on the way in, and a move to 4-0 after Ellison.
Inside the camp, the student role is part of the pitch. Kyte writes that Steveson is learning from Jon “Bones” Jones and the coaches around him — and Steveson leaned into how fast that education feels.
“With wrestling, I’ve been wrestling my whole life, so going on the mat is second nature. I want this to become that same thing where if anybody throws any kind of shot at me, I know where to go, where to move, what may come next,” he said. “With guys like Jon in my corner, I think it’s coming faster than we ever expected, and I think we’re at a great point and Saturday will be a fantastic day again.”
Turning around for another camp so soon after the debut was, in Steveson’s telling, the point. Heavyweight development windows can shrink fast for a hyped name; he wants more cage time before the matchups get steeper.
“I think it’s important to stay in that fire, stay in that cage,” he said. “As a guy that has only had four MMA fights, five professional fights overall, it’s important for me to stay out there and have people know the face, but it’s also important for me to stay out there and know everything that I should be looking out for… At this rate we’re going, it’s so fast that after Saturday, who knows where it might be? It might be somewhere in a ranked matchup, so I just wanna be ready for all angles and all aspects of this fight.”
He is not pretending the rocket stays on the pad forever. He wants another clean Saturday first, then a read on what comes next.
“I would love to keep taking my time, but I also think there is gonna be a time where it’s ‘Go Time,’ and we’re gonna have to shoot that rocket ship up, take what we’re gonna have to take,” he added. “I see it coming, I feel it coming, so I would like to get through Saturday with another dominant performance and kind of gauge where we’re at from there, make our next decision from that point.”
UFC.com casts the Sharaf matchup as another chance for Steveson to get comfortable at the highest level, noting that Sharaf has struggled through his first two UFC appearances. Steveson’s own checklist for fight night stayed simple: stay calm, keep opening the bag Jones has shown him, and leave the same way he did on July 11.
“Just to stay calm and keep opening that bag up, keep opening the variety that Jon has showed me, and be loose and be calm like I was on July 11th,” Steveson said. “If I do that, I think this will be another big win for us in big fashion, and we’ll move on with all smiles on Saturday night.”
Crypto.com UFC 331: Van vs Pantoja 2 is scheduled for September 19, 2026 at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. Per UFC.com, Early Prelims start at 5 p.m. ET / 2 p.m. PT, Prelims at 7 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. PT, and the Main Card at 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT, with the full card streaming on Paramount+ in the United States. The official event listing pairs Steveson and Sharaf in a heavyweight bout on the card.
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