MMA

Gable Steveson wants UFC title ‘as fast as possible,’ but doesn’t want to rush

Published

2 months ago

August 22, 2026

Gable Steveson wants UFC title ‘as fast as possible,’ but doesn’t want to rush

Gable Steveson isn't trying to rush things, but he does want the UFC heavyweight title ASAP.

Only 26 years old and an Olympic gold medalist in wrestling, Steveson is one of the most-hyped MMA prospects of all time. After trying his hand at football and professional wrestling, Steveson moved to MMA in 2025, immediately showcasing rare athleticism and talent that left many fans wondering when â€” not if â€” Steveson would move to the UFC and take the heavyweight title.

Steveson fulfilled the former earlier this year, making his promotional debut at UFC 329 with a first-round TKO over Elisha Ellison, and if he had his druthers, the latter would be sooner rather than later.

â€œI would like to say as fast as possible, but I would like to get my reps in, make sure the people know I earned my respect, and earned my time in the octagon,â€ Steveson told reporters at the RAF 12 press conference when asked how soon he wants to challenge for the heavyweight title. â€œAnd when that time comes, I'll most definitely be ready.â€

Speaking with MMA Fighting after the press conference, Steveson went into more detail about his plans for working his way to the title, and how his work with Jon Jones expedited his personal timeline.

â€œI think my progression has been great,â€ Steveson said. â€œI think with Jon and a lot of guys in my corner, the progression has been faster than we thought. And obviously, with my last fight I introduced my kicks; I introduced knees this time. My next fight I'll introduce something else and just keep building off that.

â€œI think however long it takes is what means most to me. Whether it's eight fights, whether it's five fights, whether it's four, whether it's six, it doesn't really matter. I come out there to compete. My goal right now is to earn the respect of the fans, earn the respect of the people, the higher-ups, earn the respect of myself to go out there and compete in these matchups that may seem a little off, but it's part of the game. You've got to build the respect with the team and build the respect within yourself, and honor the cage, and get your reps in.

â€œSo, I'm getting my reps in now. When that time comes to jump â€” which will be very soon â€” I'll jump.â€

First thing first, though, Steveson already has his next UFC fight booked, taking on Sean Sharaf next month at UFC 331, and he's hoping to keep this high rate of activity up. He aims to return with a fight at Madison Square Garden before the end of the year.

â€œI'm happy about this,â€ Steveson said of the matchup. â€œI'm the one who chose to fight again early. I could have fought at MSG and waited through that time, but I wanted to be competitive and wrestle, and then fight again, and then fight again after that. With my opponent, Sean Sharaf, a big guy who's not really mobile, can't really top a takedown, who wants to go out there and brawl and eat a lot of punches â€” I expect him to come out there the best he possibly can, but I feel like there's no avenue for him to even compete.â€

MMA

UFC 333 press conference video

Published

7 hours ago

October 22, 2026

The Punch Junkie™ News

At the UFC 333 press conference, the top four fighters in Saturday's event will answer questions from the media Thursday morning.

In the main event, UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski faces Movsar Evloev. UFC bantamweight champion Petr Yan squares off against Merab Dvalishvili in the co-main event.

The UFC 333 press conference is expected to begin at 9 a.m. ET.

MMA

TJ Dillashaw predicts Petr Yan vs Merab Dvalishvili trilogy at UFC 333

Published

7 hours ago

October 22, 2026

The Punch Junkie™ News

TJ Dillashaw predicts Petr Yan vs Merab Dvalishvili trilogy at UFC 333

Zuffa LLC

Former UFC champion TJ Dillashaw has given his thoughts on the trilogy fight between Petr Yan and Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 333.

On Saturday night, Petr Yan will put his UFC bantamweight championship on the line when he goes up against Merab Dvalishvili, the same man he beat for the belt last year, in the third and potentially final fight in their series.

RELATED: Sean O'Malley sends Petr Yan a cold message ahead of UFC 333 trilogy fight

Dvalishvili won the first bout before Petr Yan came back and improved dramatically to win the rematch. At this point, it's hard to say which way it's going to swing given how talented both fighters are.

In a recent interview, however, TJ Dillashaw had some interesting views on Petr Yan vs Merab Dvalishvili 3.

TJ Dillashaw on Petr Yan vs Merab Dvalishvili 3

â€œI just think that Yan really had the answers. Yan looked fantastic. Takedown defense was amazing and a guy that fights like Merab, looking for those takedowns, that's his path to victory just relentlessly grinding and getting those takedowns. If he can't get you down and it's failed shot after failed shot, then his gas tank is never going to be as good as the guy defending shots, even if you are the more in-shape fighter. We'll see if four fights in one year had a factor, but I think Yan just has the game plan and looked really good.â€

â€œI am leaning towards Yan. Tough fight. It really is. I think he had all the answers, and that confidence builds. He's had some losses, but those losses were (weird). His losses are minuscule losses, and then that last fight, I think just builds so much confidence that he has what it takes. The answer for Merab, the cardio for Merab. I'm leaning towards Yan, but I think it's going to be a banger of a fight again. Merab is never going to stop and you have to beat the bricks off him to win.â€

Quotes via MMA Junkie

Who are you backing to leave UFC 333 with the title? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below, BJPENN Nation!

This article appeared first on BJPENN.COM

MMA

Brendan Allen says he & Khamzat Chimaev will fight only for UFC gold

Published

13 hours ago

October 22, 2026

The Punch Junkie™ News

Brendan Allen says he & Khamzat Chimaev will fight only for UFC gold

Brendan
Allen says he and Khamzat
Chimaev have agreed to fight each other only if a title is on
the line.

Allen submitted Christian
Leroy Duncan in his last bout, extending his
Ultimate Fighting Championship winning streak to four. The
victory strengthened â€œAll Inâ€'s case for a title shot and raised
the possibility of a clash with his friend, Chimaev. However, Allen
said they have an agreement governing a potential matchup.

Brendan Allen explains title-only fight agreement with Khamzat
Chimaev

Allen discussed the arrangement during an appearance on MMA Junkie
Radio, saying their friendship wouldn't prevent them from sharing
the Octagon in a championship bout.

â€œWe have the agreement that we're not going to fight each other
unless it's for gold,â€ Allen said. â€œSo, if it's for the belt, then
we're gonna fight. Fighting for the belt changes my life, and it
changes my family's. Everyone that I've ever come in contact with
knows that about me: if it's for a belt, there's no questions
that's gonna be asked from my end.â€

Chimaev suffered his first professional defeat in May, losing the
UFC middleweight title to Sean
Strickland at
UFC 328. â€œBorzâ€ has sought a rematch, but Nassourdine
Imavov appears positioned to receive the next title shot.
Meanwhile, Allen called out former champion Dricus Du
Plessis after beating Duncan at
UFC Vegas 122.