UFC president Dana White shared his reaction to Gable Steveson’s shocking knockout loss to Sean Sharaf at UFC 331.
Entering UFC 331 as a -2500 betting favorite, Steveson was fully expected to defeat Sharaf and make it look easy. But he was brutally knocked out in just 12 seconds as Sharaf caught him with a left hook on the chin that KO’d him cold.
Dana White Reacts to Gable Steveson’s KO Loss at UFC 331
Speaking to the media following UFC 331, White shared his reaction to Steveson getting knocked out in the first round by Sharaf.
“Anything is possible, man. Anything is possible when two guys get in there and start fighting,” White said.
White sure is correct about that, as fans were absolutely shocked to see Steveson lose this fight as such a heavy favorite. But this is what can happen in the sport sometimes, as nothing is given to you. Steveson is still a big-name prospect as he has an elite athletic background, but he got caught and paid for it against Sharaf at UFC 331, and he is now going to have to completely rebuild himself up after losing this fight against Sharaf in such a shocking fashion on the main card.
What’s Next for Gable Steveson?
After this KO loss, Steveson has to go back to the drawing board; he was expected to win easily but instead suffered a bad knockout.
The UFC is likely going to have to give him a big step back in competition, as he isn’t ready for fighters like Sharaf who have huge knockout power, and Steveson also struggled against Elisha Ellison in his UFC debut in July at UFC 329.
For his next bout, Steveson will probably fight someone coming off multiple losses and who has issues stopping takedowns. The UFC will also be careful to give him a striker with knockout power after seeing what happened to him against Sharaf.
Steveson can still rebound and turn things around, but he has a lot of work to do to get where he wants to be, and we can’t talk about him being a potential champion anytime soon.
Dana White Reacts to Gable Steveson Losing at UFC 331