UFC commentator Daniel Cormier criticized Gable Steveson for his post-fight decision to exit the cage quickly following his loss at UFC 331.
Steveson was shockingly knocked out in just 12 seconds by Sean Sharaf on the UFC 331 main card. But instead of waiting around to see Sharaf get his hand raised, he immediately left the Octagon, which is not typically what losing fighters do.
Cormier was not thrilled by that decision that Steveson made.
Daniel Cormier Criticizes Gable Steveson
Speaking on the UFC 331 post-fight show, Cormier criticized Steveson for leaving the cage so quickly instead of showing Sharaf respect and seeing him get his hand raised.
“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,” Cormier said.
“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.” 😬 #UFC331
A Bad Look for Gable Steveson
Not only did he have a bad performance, but Steveson also looked bad by deciding to rapidly exit the Octagon instead of letting Sharaf get his moment in the sun after pulling off the biggest upset in UFC history, according to the betting odds.
It does not reflect well on Steveson, nor his team at Jackson Wink MMA Academy, which includes UFC legend Jon Jones, who was in his corner for the fight, along with veteran coach Greg Jackson.
One of them should have had the wherewithal to tell Steveson to stand in the center of the cage and accept the loss instead of being, as Cormier puts it, an “ungrateful loser” about it and running away.
To be fair to Steveson, he did just get brutally knocked out, so perhaps his brain was still scrambled from getting blasted in the dome, and he wasn’t totally sure what was going on at that time.
But either way, it was not a good look to see him leave the Octagon immediately instead of giving Sharaf the respect that he earned by knocking him out in just 12 seconds in what was one of the most shocking upset losses that we have ever seen in MMA, as few expected this knockout to occur.
Daniel Cormier Criticizes Gable Steveson for Post-Fight Decision