Olympic Wrestling Champ Ready To Make MMA Debut With September Fight

Olympic champion Gable Steveson, 25, is set to make his debut in MMA at LFA 217 on Sept. 12. His first professional fight will take place in his home state of Minnesota at the Mystic Lake Casino Hotel. The opponent for his debut is Braden Peterson, and the event will stream on UFC Fight Pass. Steveson is one of the most dominant heavyweight wrestlers of his time. The LFA (Legacy Fighting Allegiance) is one of the top promotions in the U.S. and has been a consistent source of talent, mostly for the UFC. 

Upcoming MMA Debut

Steveson became the youngest Olympic gold medalist in freestyle heavyweight division history at 21 years old in 2020. He was a two-time NCAA Division I champion, five-time All-American, and two-time Dan Hodge Trophy winner, which is awarded to the nation’s top wrestler, while at the University of Minnesota. 

He suffered a huge upset loss to Oklahoma State’s Wyatt Hendrickson in the 2025 NCAA Championship finals in March. Steveson led late until Hendrickson took Steveson down for the first time the entire season. Steveson spent time training with the all-time great and former UFC champion Jon Jones ahead of Jones’ last fight in 2024. He has also been at Syndicate MMA in Las Vegas. The UFC could be in his future, or the PFL can make a move. 

What This Could Mean

We have seen former NCAA and Olympic wrestlers go into MMA, including former UFC heavyweight champions Daniel Cormier and Brock Lesnar. This could be the start of another legendary MMA career. Steveson’s opponent, Peterson (1-0), is 37 and earned a 14-second KO victory in July. Will this be a failed experiment, or will Gable Steveson join the list of legends who went from wrestling to MMA?