Gable Steveson recaps UFC 329 debut: 'I wanted him to feel pain'
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Gable Steveson wanted Elisha Ellison to quit at UFC 329.
The Olympic gold medalist stopped Ellison via TKO at 2:31 of the first round in his UFC debut Saturday night in Las Vegas, outlanding his opponent 41-14 in total strikes. Steveson entered as one of the heaviest betting favorites in UFC history and validated those odds with a dominant performance in the heavyweight clash.
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Steveson's game plan: pressure and pain
"See, I wanted Elisha Ellison to feel that pressure; I wanted him to feel pain," Steveson told reporters after the win, per Sherdog. "I wanted to go out there and make him quit. And I knew when Elisha Ellison got hit hard, he would fall down. And he did fall down."
The two-time NCAA Division I champion has now finished all four of his MMA bouts by first-round knockout. Steveson won gold at the Tokyo Olympics in freestyle wrestling before transitioning to mixed martial arts.
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No announcement has been made on when Steveson will return to the Octagon.
Reported via:
- Sherdog — Gable Steveson recaps UFC 329 victory: ‘I wanted him to feel pain’
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