Gable Steveson reflects on UFC 329 debut knockout win

Gable Steveson landed zero takedowns in his UFC 329 debut but still put Elisha Ellison away in under two minutes Saturday night at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

The Olympic wrestling gold medalist entered as a massive favorite — closing around -2800 — and finished his opponent with a flurry of right hands and knees after half a round of back-and-forth action, MMA Mania reported. Steveson ate clean punches from the 265-pounder and kept pressing forward until Ellison crumbled.

Steveson explains his wrestling game plan at UFC 329

Speaking to reporters afterward, Steveson said his lone takedown attempt was just a feeler. "The first shot I took was just to get a feeler out for him, see what he was gonna do, see how he would defend," he told the post-fight press conference, per MMA Mania. "I wanted to shock his nervous system to kinda make sure that he knew he was in for a fight. So he defended my takedown. Great job. But if I shot two more, he wasn't gonna defend those."

Steveson, who trains under Jon Jones, said he told color commentator Daniel Cormier after the fight that no takedowns were necessary for this win. He added that he showed only a fraction of what he brings to the table and plans to mix in wrestling as the competition level rises.

The two-time NCAA Division I champion passed the first big test — absorbing clean heavyweight punches and bouncing back. Steveson said he wants to fight at Madison Square Garden in November, the same venue where Jones knocked out Stipe Miocic with a spinning back kick.

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• MMA Mania — Gable Steveson reflects on his successful UFC 329 debut: ‘No takedowns necessary for that win’