Olympic gold medalist Gable Steveson sounds out Dana White as UFC rumors swirl
Olympic freestyle wrestler Gable Steveson dropped hints of a potential move to the world of mixed martial arts by sending UFC president Dana White a cryptic message on social media.
The Tokyo Games gold medalist recently sent out a tweet with a waving hand emoji and tagged White's official Twitter handle in what appeared to be an attempt to catch the attention of the UFC boss.
The message, as vague as it is, stoked the flames of rumors about Steveson's supposed transition into MMA. After his gold medal win at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, reports surfaced about the likelihood of MMA and pro-wrestling promotions reaching out to Gable Steveson.
The WWE wasted no time expressing their interest in signing the 21-year-old phenom as they took to social media to congratulate Steveson. In the past, the WWE has proven its ability to turn an Olympic gold medal wrestler into a superstar – Kurt Angle.
But Gable Steveson's latest tweet could indicate that he's more interested in fighting in the octagon than pursuing a career in the squared circle.
MMA journalist Ariel Helwani also reported that the University of Minnesota standout should expect to receive messages from combat sports giants once he's done with school.
How would Gable Steveson fare in the UFC?
Dominant wrestlers historically do well inside the octagon. In that respect, Gable Steveson should have a good foundation for having an illustrious MMA career.
But don't take our word for it. Henry Cejudo and Ben Askren, two former MMA world champions, believe Steveson will have a bright future in the UFC if the young athlete decides to pursue a career in cage-fighting.
After Gable Steveson's incredible comeback win to secure the gold, former Bellator and ONE Championship welterweight titleholder Askren said the 21-year-old would be unstoppable with only 18 months of MMA training. 'Funky' wrote:
Meanwhile, former two-division UFC champ and fellow Olympic gold medalist Cejudo believes that Steveson will succeed no matter which career path he chooses. According to Cejudo:
Former Olympic wrestler Daniel Cormier also went on to become a two-division champion in the UFC and is arguably one of the greatest mixed martial artists of all time.
Whether Gable Steveson was actually hinting at a potential UFC debut, only time will tell. Regardless, the future is very bright for the Olympic champion.