We may have just witnessed the greatest bit of schadenfreude in UFC history when Sean Sharaf instantly knocked out Gable Steveson (watch that here).
It was YUUUUUUUUUGE.
Steveson has not ingratiated himself to UFC’s fanbase, which seems a little odd at first glance. The Heavyweight division desperately needs interesting new blood … and Steveson certainly qualifies. An Olympic gold medalist with knockout power should be an instant fan favorite, somebody who brings a fanbase with them already into the Octagon.
Alas, it’s not so simple.
First and foremost, there’s the alleged 2019 sexual assault incident, which has followed Steveson all fight week like a second shadow. Sharaf was quick to throw those allegations in Steveson’s face, and Steveson’s reaction was … unsettling? You’ll notice he never really denied the accusations and instead labeled Sharaf a coward for bringing them up.
Then, there was this eyebrow-raising response during a fight week interview:
A gifted orator he is not.
Old allegations are not the entire story. There’s also an air of condescension that accompanied Steveson’s joining the UFC roster. Like Bo Nickal before him, Steveson talks as if his wrestling accomplishments mean that he deserves a title shot already. In fact, MMA demands that everybody — including world-class wrestlers — pay their dues, and fans are always bothered when somebody thinks they get to skip the line. There’s also the Jon Jones of it all. Training with the sport’s most notorious sociopath is one thing, but Steveson outright copied his mannerisms.
It’s an off-putting combination.
What’s especially hilarious about this loss is that Steveson got knocked out pulling away from the pocket like Jones himself does all the time. The obvious difference, of course, is that Jones held a meaningful height and reach advantage over just about every opponent he ever faced, while Steveson is 5’11.” Confidence is a necessity in combat sports, but doesn’t a short wrestler thinking he can strike like “Bones” after a year in the cage cross the boundary into arrogance?
Finally, there’s the simple fact that MMA wasn’t Steveson’s first choice. After his wrestling career concluded, Steveson failed to hack it in both the NFL and WWE prior to entering the cage. It’s understandable to pursue the best financial options first, but obviously cage fighting isn’t his true passion, which isn’t particularly endearing to fight fans.
Now, we find out how deeply Steveson’s commitment to the sport runs. He just got knocked out cold in embarrassing fashion. The loss will embolden every Heavyweight in the world to think that they, too, can flatline an Olympic gold medalist. Steveson’s motivation was already questionable when he believed he would enjoy an easy jog to UFC gold. Now, the reality of years of hard work and vitriol from fans and a lack of guaranteed results is likely to set in.
Will Steveson commit himself to the task? I can think of 160,000 reasons he would, yet his personal history offers no such guarantees.
Worst case, I hear Power Slap is always hiring.
