Olympic gold medalist wrestler Gable Steveson proved he has hands too, and did so in front of UFC brass.
In the main event of DBX 4 at The Pinnacle in Nashville, Tenn., Steveson stepped through the ropes for the first time in a combat sport without the ability to use takedowns. With only his fists and elbows at his disposal, Steveson took on fellow heavyweight Billy Swanson, a Bellator and PFL veteran.
Steveson only needed 15 seconds to close the show by knockout.
A clean right hand followed by a left rocked Swanson, and Steveson wasted no time capitalizing. A flurry of punches followed, and a vicious uppercut sent Swanson crashing to the canvas. Per the Dirty Boxing ruleset, Steveson is allowed to follow up with punches on the ground for up to five seconds. He didn’t need that much time, as referee Dan Miragliotta rushed in to wave off the fight after two more punches connected.
Check out video of the finish below via X (formerly Twitter):
During his post-fight interview, Steveson turned his attention to UFC matchmaker Mick Maynard, who was in attendance ringside.
“I think a special guest was here to come watch me,” Steveson said. “… Mick, you’ve seen a little bit, I would love to show a lot more. Hopefully, you believe in me, and I appreciate you.”
A decorated wrestler training with former UFC champion Jon Jones, Steveson made his professional MMA debut at LFA 217 in September. He finished Braden Peterson in 1:38 after securing a quick takedown, and ending the fight with heavy ground and pound.
