Jones Backs Steveson To Rebound After 12-Second KO Loss

Jon Jones says Gable Steveson is already back in the gym following his knockout loss to Sean Sharaf at UFC 331 on September 19.

Steveson, an Olympic gold medalist in freestyle wrestling, was beaten in 12 seconds in his first MMA defeat. He entered as a -2,500 favorite, making it one of the biggest upsets in UFC history by the odds.

Jones, who has been mentoring Steveson, remains confident in his potential. “Gable’s doing really, really awesome. I believe in Gable. I believe in the man and the person that he is. And as far as the athlete that Gable is, he’s extraordinary,” Jones.

Jones said even the greatest fighters suffer unexpected defeats, but that adjustments are needed. “He’s in the right head space. He’s right back to training. I feel like, as a team, we need to add a lot more sparring, and we have our little things that we can work on as a team,” Jones.