Gable Steveson Wants a Ranked Fight — But First, Sean Sharaf at UFC 331

Gable Steveson doesn't want to wait. The 26-year-old Olympic wrestling champion is 4-0 in MMA with a 100% finish rate — all four wins by knockout — and he's already floating the idea of a ranked opponent as soon as he clears Sean Sharaf at UFC 331 on Saturday. That's a bold clock for a man who's had exactly five professional fights across his entire combat career.

His debut set the tone. Steveson stopped Elisha Ellison in the first round at UFC 329 back in July, and rather than sit on the highlight reel, he and his team booked the next one fast. The logic is simple: heavyweight is a shallow division, hyped prospects get pushed quickly, and he'd rather bank experience now while the matchups are still developmental. Ellison, for context, dropped to 5-3 after that loss.

Learning on the Job

Steveson's honest about the gaps. He said the debut went well for a first crack at the big stage but admitted Ellison caught him a couple of times, and his takeaways are all about ring IQ — knowing when to press, when to exit, and how to avoid getting tagged by anything cheap. It's the language of a wrestler still translating decades of mat instinct into a striking-heavy sport.

The help isn't bad, either. Steveson trains alongside Jon Jones and a full stable of coaches, and he says the learning curve is moving faster than anyone expected. He models his style on Daniel Cormier — pressure, forward, keep opponents on edge — and reckons the coaching is turning MMA reactions into the same second-nature responses wrestling gave him years ago.

The Sharaf Test

On paper, Sharaf is another controlled step up. He's struggled through his first two UFC appearances, and most read Saturday as a chance for Steveson to get more comfortable at the top level. There's been some needle between the two, but Steveson kept it light, saying he plans to stay calm, keep 'opening the bag' Jones has shown him, and walk out smiling the way he did on July 11th.

The bigger tell is what comes after. Steveson admits he'd love to take his time, but he can feel the acceleration and expects a 'Go Time' moment sooner than later — possibly a ranked matchup right off another dominant win. UFC 331 is headlined by the Joshua Van–Alexandre Pantoja flyweight rematch, but Steveson's trajectory is the undercard story worth watching. Get through Sharaf clean, and the rocket ship he keeps mentioning starts leaving the pad.