mixed martial arts debut next month.
The Olympic gold medalist will face Braden
Peterson at LFA 217 on Sept. 12 at the Mystic Lake Casino Hotel
in Prior Lake, Minnesota. The promotion announced the heavyweight
bout on Tuesday. LFA 217 is headlined by a bantamweight clash
between Mitch McKee and Christian
Strong and airs on UFC Fight Pass at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT.
“Gable Steveson’s arrival in the sport is a historic moment, and
pairing it with a high-level bantamweight clash makes LFA 217 an
event you can’t miss,” said LFA CEO Ed Soares in a release.
In addition to winning a gold medal in freestyle wrestling at the
2020 Olympics, Steveson captured two national championships and
earned NCAA All-American honors five times at the University of
Minnesota. He was also a two-time Dan Hodge Trophy winner.
Steveson Has Trained with MMA Notables
Before shifting his focus to MMA, Steveson had stints in the WWE
developmental system and in Buffalo Bills training camp in 2024.
More recently, he returned to Minnesota to complete his college
eligibility, and he suffered an upset loss to Wyatt Hendrickson in
the finals of the 2025 NCAA National Championships. Steveson has
spent time training with former
UFC heavyweight champ Jon Jones and
has also worked at
Syndicate MMA in Las Vegas.
Peterson made his pro debut for Fusion Fight League on July 26,
when he defeated Chris
Thompson via technical knockout in 14 seconds.
Gable Steveson vs Braden Peterson