MMA’s heavyweight division is in desperate need of new life. Luckily, Olympic gold medalist wrestler Gable Steveson could be just what the doctor ordered.
Steveson, 25, has captured attention for himself no matter the sport he’s dabbled in. Whether on the wrestling mat, the football field, pro-wrestling’s squared circle, or now combat sports rings and cages, he’s proven to be a unique athlete. While his success has varied since he won Olympic gold in 2021, the pendulum appeared to swing in his favor when Steveson officially made the transition to professional fighting in 2025. Steveson has won all three of his bouts, with his longest lasting only 98 seconds.
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With an all-time great UFC champion, Jon Jones, in Steveson’s corner, he appears set up to maximize his vast potential. However Jones’ greatest rival, fellow wrestling Olympian and UFC Hall of Famer Daniel Cormier, can’t help but wonder if Jones’ influence may be more of a negative than a positive.
Cormier shared his thoughts this week on Uncrowned’s “The Ariel Helwani Show.”
“I believe he has a real chance to be a world champion,” Cormier said of Steveson. “I do believe that him doing Dirty Boxing, where he essentially takes away his greatest skill, and the willingness to do that, bodes well to him becoming a world champion. I believe there are some factors that may slow down [that trajectory] — his coach is Jon Jones.
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“As long as he lets the other coaches coach him, yes. But if Jon is actually coaching him, I don’t know. I don’t even think Gable is ever going to fall into that trap of making those mistakes.”
Cormier retired from active competition with the UFC in 2020. Since then, the former two-division champion has committed to coaching, opening his own wrestling facility: The Daniel Cormier Wrestling Academy. The gym primarily focuses on high-school wrestlers and youth, but notable names have also come to train with Cormier.
But Cormier and Jones are in different roles in their lives, which is why Cormier sees the potential issue for Steveson — and it has nothing to do with outside antics or concerns. Cormier compares it similarly to his old teammate at American Kickboxing Academy, former UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov, who is also retired and now considered one of the best coaches in the sport.
That’s the difference. Unlike either man, Jones continues to insist he’ll compete again despite his lackluster retirement saga and vacating of the heavyweight title last year.
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“You know what Khabib is and why he’s such a good coach? Khabib is the most selfless person you have ever met,” Cormier said. “He can put his athletes above himself, in front of him, in everything that he does. In order to be a great coach, you cannot have an ego. You have to become secondary to everyone that you coach. Jon is still on the [UFC] roster; he’s an active fighter. I don’t know if he can be as giving and selfless to make Gable the true star of the show. You’ve got to make the other guy, make your athlete the star of the show.
“I’m coaching my academy guys; I don’t corner them. I try to stay out of the way because it’s not about me. It’s about them. It’s their time. I am there to help them prepare. … You’ve got to be selfless as a coach. Your coach is also the people responsible for your career or the ones that are in their ear. It’s not like they don’t have people that are valuable. We have coaches that made me help those guys. If it’s anyone I trust, it’s those guys. You’ve got to be selfless.
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“I watched Khabib spend a lot of time away from his family to be with those guys to make sure that they’re ready. I just don’t know if that’s Jon.”
Time will tell how the relationship between Steveson and Jones carries forward. Until then, heavyweight’s top prospect hopes both he and his mentor will get to compete at the UFC’s White House event in June.