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Brett Okamoto
Multiple Authors
Ahead of his third professional fight, U.S. Olympic gold medalist Gable Steveson says he has been in regular contact with the UFC and intends to call for a spot on the promotion’s event at the White House with a win.
Steveson (2-0) will face 11-year veteran Hugo Lezama (11-3) at Mexico Fight League 3 on Feb. 19 in Monterrey, Mexico. Widely regarded as one of the greatest freestyle wrestlers in U.S. history, Steveson has recorded first-round finishes in both of his MMA appearances, and says he will publicly request his UFC debut to take place on June 14 at the White House once he takes out Lezama.
“We’ve been in a lot of contact [with the UFC],” Steveson told ESPN. “Most definitely I’ll call [for the White House]. I think it’s rightfully so, especially if a big knockout happens next Thursday. It would be my fourth one — three in MMA and one in boxing.”
Steveson, who was also a two-time NCAA Division I national champion wrestler at University of Minnesota, trains alongside MMA legend Jon Jones, who has also expressed his desire to compete at the White House. The UFC officially started discussing matchups for the event this week but has yet to make any announcement.
Jones has already predicted Steveson will become the UFC’s heavyweight champion by early 2027, which would align with the 25-year-old making his promotional debut in the first half of this year.
“Yeah, I believe it,” said Steveson, on Jones’s prediction. “I’ve got full confidence in myself. With a guy like Jon, I feel like my confidence goes through the roof and the best thing about it is that he sees me firsthand, training with him and hitting the pads, going through all the motions. His word is gold with that. If it’s not next year, it’ll be soon after that. It just depends how the cards fall.”
Steveson won gold at the Tokyo Olympics in dramatic fashion, rallying from an 8-5 deficit in the final 10 seconds of his 125-kilogram matchup against Georgia’s Geno Petriashvili to post an improbable 10-8 victory.
Steveson also tried his hand at professional wrestling before trying out for the NFL’s Buffalo Bills, though he did not make the roster.