Sonnen On Steveson's Future After UFC 331 Loss

Gable Steveson can recover from his brutal knockout loss at UFC 331, according to MMA analyst Chael Sonnen.

Steveson, the Olympic gold medallist, was stopped cold by Sean Sharaf in one of the biggest upsets in recent UFC history. Despite the shock result, Sonnen told MMA Junkie he remains impressed with the heavyweight's potential. "He won the Olympics, and transitioning to MMA, how long does that take? I have to tell you, I've been nothing but impressed by him," Sonnen said.

Steveson Has Bounced Back Before

Sonnen pointed to Steveson's wrestling career as proof he can handle adversity. The former Olympian suffered a stunning defeat in the NCAA finals in front of the President, which aired on ESPN and is considered by many as one of the sport's greatest upsets. "It's rare that this guy gets beaten at anything, but it's not as though he hasn't been beat. The one commonality is that he always gets up," Sonnen said.

The Zuffa analyst believes interest in Steveson has peaked following the loss rather than diminished. No ranked heavyweight has requested the fight despite the attention the knockout generated, Sonnen noted. "Whatever Gable does next, very obviously, is going to be big. Whether you're tuning in to see him succeed or fail, either way, we do understand that we're going to be tuning in," he said.

Steveson has not commented publicly on his next move since the knockout at UFC 331.

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• BJPenn — Gable Steveson still has a lot of potential, says MMA analyst