LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - SEPTEMBER 19: Jon Jones provides instruction to Gable Steveson prior to a heavyweight fight against Sean Sharaf during the UFC 331 event at Crypto.com Arena on September 19, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC) What a difference a week makes. Leading up to UFC 331, Gable Steveson was being advertised as the next big thing at heavyweight. With his Olympic gold medal pedigree and Jon Jones in his corner, no one would be able to stop his ascension. “Everyone’s f—ked when this guy comes out,” Joe Rogan declared before Steveson was even added to the UFC roster. “It’s f—king crazy, the speed that this guy has.” Everyone except for 0-2 UFC heavyweight Sean Sharaf … or should we say 1-2 after Sharaf knocked Steveson out with a big left hand just 12 seconds into their fight on the UFC 331 main card. Steveson didn’t get a chance to show off any of that Olympic-level wrestling, or his Rogan-touted speed. Instead, it was his tendency to get cracked that was on display, and this time it cost him the fight. Sean Sharaf 🇺🇸 solo necesitó de 12 segundos para mandar a dormir a su rival 🇺🇸Gable Steveson ‼️#CryptoCom #UFC331 | Ver en vivo por @PPlusDeportes pic.twitter.com/L6ia3V01rf — UFC Español (@UFCEspanol) September 20, 2026 Sharaf was going hard on Steveson before the two even landed in Los Angeles. He called Gable a rapist on social media and dubbing him “Loophole” after a 2019 sexual assault case that was dropped due to a dubious Minnesota law. By the time the UFC 331 press conference went down, Steveson should have had some sort of response ready. He did not. Before making a jump to MMA, Steveson was signed by WWE but quickly washed out of the organization. Hearing him try to respond to Sharaf’s taunts or even softball questions from reporters regarding the situation gives you a good idea why: the guy is not a good speaker. “We gotta keep moving forward, we gotta keep pushing with our lives,” Steveson told Aaron Bronsteter leading up to UFC 331. “We can’t let a little something that may have occurred — it probably didn’t occur, or whatever happened, just slow us down.” Daniel Cormier commented on Gable Steveson leaving the Octagon before the hand raise: "You let that man get his hand raised, and you stand there no matter how you feel… You cannot be a great winner, but then an ungrateful loser." 📺 @paramountplus pic.twitter.com/ygOMLAVMfG — UFC on Paramount+ (@UFConParamount) September 20, 2026 Previously, there was nothing more than a little Bo Nickal style grousing from fans over Gable Steveson’s concierge matchmaking. But the fan sentiment towards Steveson turned ugly during fight week in a big way. Fans started booing Steveson at the press conference, they booed him at the weigh-ins, and they booed him mercilessly when he left the cage before the official decision was read awarding Sean Sharaf the win. All of a sudden, this blue chip prospect that was supposed to be the savior of the heavyweight division is looking like he might become the biggest MMA bust in recent memory. We’re not there yet, and it’s too early to scream fraud check. But Steveson is going to have to dig deep to turn this thing around, and he’s going to have to do it with a lot of people booing him mercilessly through the process. Steveson dabbled at becoming an NFL player and WWE superstar, and walked away from both the moment he hit setbacks. This is his first big setback in MMA. How will he respond this time?