Hokit Blames Jones For Steveson's UFC 331 Loss

Josh Hokit says Jon Jones is to blame for Gable Steveson's first professional loss.

Steveson, an Olympic gold medalist in freestyle wrestling, suffered a 12-second knockout at UFC 331 against Sean Sharaf earlier this month. The former Olympian had entered the cage with a 4-0 record under Jones' tutelage, including a July debut win over Elisha Ellison. Fight week turned ugly when Sharaf raised Steveson's past sexual assault accusations and the response from Steveson drew widespread criticism before the stoppage loss capped a disastrous stretch.

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Hokit Questions Jones' Training Methods

Hokit told Ariel Helwani that Jones has not provided the guidance Steveson needs early in his fighting career. The heavyweight contender said Steveson is not sparring properly and suggested the Olympic wrestler underestimated the challenge of MMA. Hokit added that fighters with Steveson's background struggle to rebuild from the ground up because their egos get in the way.

The 12-second knockout presents a significant mental obstacle for Steveson to clear in his next outing, according to Hokit, who challenges Ciryl Gane for the heavyweight title at UFC 334 on Nov. 14 inside Madison Square Garden.

Reported via:

• BJPenn — Josh Hokit blames Jon Jones for Gable Steveson’s nightmare loss at UFC 331: “This sh*t ain’t sweet”