Sharaf On Steveson's Future After Stunning KO

Sean Sharaf delivered a 12-second knockout of Gable Steveson at UFC 331 on Saturday but surprised reporters afterward by predicting a bright future for the former Olympic champion.

Sharaf dropped Steveson with a crushing left hook in the opening seconds of their heavyweight bout at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. The finish snapped Steveson's 4-0 start and marked the wrestler's first knockout loss. Sharaf, facing possible release after back-to-back defeats to Junior Tafa and Steven Asplund, instead notched the biggest win of his career.

Sharaf Reflects On Early Career Setback

Speaking to reporters at the post-fight media scrum, Sharaf drew a parallel to his own experience with adversity. "I was 4-0, I was undefeated when I had my first loss in the UFC and he just had his first loss," he said, per MMA Junkie. "It makes you better. You're going to take a look back, and you can't underestimate people. You can't think you're untouchable and you're going to just run through people. I think he's going to go back. He's going to get better. He's got a hell of a lot of talent, so I'm sure you guys will see him again."

Steveson earned a reported $100,000 more in base salary than Sharaf despite the loss, according to BJPenn.com. The highly touted freestyle wrestler now faces his first adversity inside the cage after turning professional with significant hype behind his name.

Sharaf improved to 1-2 in the UFC and avoided what could have been a third consecutive loss leading to his release. The heavyweight bout aired on the UFC 331 main card beneath Joshua Van's flyweight title defense against Alexandre Pantoja.

Reported via:

• BJPenn — Sean Sharaf shares surprisingly positive outlook on Gable Steveson’s career following stunning KO at UFC 331