Colby Covington thinks Gable Steveson needs to dump Jon Jones after the Olympic wrestling champion’s first MMA defeat. Following Steveson’s 12-second knockout loss to Sean Sharaf at UFC 331, Covington said the heavyweight should leave Jon Jones‘ camp and return to the wrestling that built his reputation.
Steveson entered Saturday’s heavyweight bout at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles unbeaten at 4-0, with four first-round finishes, and had won his UFC debut against Elisha Ellison in July. He was a major betting favorite against Sharaf, a retired U.S. Marine who had lost his first two UFC bouts.
Instead, Sharaf threw a right hand, followed with a left hook that put Steveson out 12 seconds into Round 1. Referee Frank Trigg stopped the contest, leaving Steveson with a 4-1 MMA record and Sharaf at 5-2. The finish was one of the quickest in UFC heavyweight history and earned Sharaf a reported $100,000 in bonuses, according to UFC CEO Dana White. It also changed the tone around one of MMA’s most watched new heavyweight prospects.
Steveson has an Olympic gold medal from the Tokyo Games, won in 2021, and built his name through elite collegiate wrestling before moving into combat sports full time. Jones was in Steveson’s corner alongside Greg Jackson and Brandon Gibson. The former UFC light heavyweight and heavyweight champion has worked closely with Steveson during his transition to MMA, with the two training at Jackson Wink MMA Academy in Albuquerque.
Gable Steveson Told To Cut Jon Jones After 12-Second UFC 331 Loss by Colby Covington
Speaking to Submission Radio, Covington said he believed the loss had been coming because Steveson appeared too committed to striking.
“I definitely saw this coming,” Covington said. “He was over-hyping himself, overlooking other competitors and he just thought he was invincible. You don’t see him try to wrestle in any fights; he’s just going straight into striking.” Covington questioned why an athlete with Steveson’s wrestling background was choosing to trade punches so early in fights.
“When you forget about what got you to the dance, that’s always going to be a recipe for disaster,” he said. The former interim UFC welterweight champion then turned his attention to Jones, with whom he has had a tense relationship dating back to their time as roommates at Iowa Central Community College. Covington’s comments were personal, and they went beyond technical criticism of Steveson’s preparation.
“Jon Jones is bad energy. That guy is a demon, man,” Covington said. “We’ve seen the long laundry list of bad things he’s done to women, to people, to cops, to drug testers. He’s just a horrible person, bro.” Covington’s advice was direct: “He should definitely cut Jon Jones and get to a new camp and get focused and start believing and start using his wrestling.”
Jones has since addressed a separate point of criticism from UFC 331. Steveson left the Octagon before Bruce Buffer announced the result and before he could acknowledge Sharaf, prompting fan reaction online. Jones said it was his decision to take Steveson backstage immediately after the knockout because he wanted to make sure his friend was okay.
