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Gable Steveson is one of the hottest free agents in the combat sports world today. Having won the collegiate national championship in wrestling, Steveson was already an athlete many had their eye on, but his stardom increased exponentially following his performance at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.
At just 21, Steveson caught the eye as he powered his way to the gold medal match in the super-heavyweight freestyle division. With less than a second remaining against 3-time world champion Geno Petriashvili, Steveson heroically snatched the points he needed to secure gold and cement his legacy.
Since then, Steveson has been openly exploring his options as he seeks out the next step in his career. Steveson has kept fans guessing, appearing at both UFC and Bellator MMA events, as well as meeting Vince McMahon of the WWE.
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He has also mentioned that he has an interest in pursuing an NFL career, with interest from the Buffalo Bills as well as the option of returning to his college team as a 2-sport athlete, both still on the table.
While it remains to be seen which route Gable Steveson will choose, he certainly has the potential to be incredibly successful in the UFC. With the excitement surrounding his decision swirling, let us explore the possibility of him pursuing a career in MMA.
With the UFC heavyweight division more stacked than it has been in years, there are plenty of exciting match-ups for Steveson. On that note, here are five dream UFC opponents for Stevenson:
#5 Greg Hardy
While Greg Hardy may not be the most decorated fighter in the UFC's heavyweight division, there is plenty to like in a possible bout between him and Steveson.
Hardy has become a character MMA fans love to hate, and so pitting him up against the heroic American could be a sure-fire success. There would also be added intrigue going into this fight, given how both fighters made a name for themselves outside the UFC.
Steveson would be guaranteed to receive enormous support in this bout, which he could build upon as his career progresses. Hardy is no slouch, but he may not pose as much of a threat asthe others on this list, which could be useful as the UFC would surely look to protect their star.
A win over Hardy would begin to build Steveson's MMA resume, and would be a fun fight that would garner a ton of attention.
#4 Alexander Gustafsson
While there may once again be more obvious fighters who spring to mind, Alexander Gustafsson is another fighter who could help quickly legitimize Steveson as a threat in the UFC.
While Gustafsson was once among the sports' elite, his career has lost momentum in recent years, and he seems to occupy more of a gateholder role within the organization at the moment. That was exemplified recently when Gustafsson was booked to face Paul Craig in a light heavyweight bout, but Gustafsson had to pull out of that because of injury.
Perhaps the appeal of one more big fight could draw the Swede back up to heavyweight. Gustaffson is another big name without the risk of being a top heavyweight contender, which could be a perfect fit for Steveson.
#3 Curtis Blaydes
Curtis Blaydes would provide an obvious step up in competition compared to the names before him on this list.
While this would clearly be an enormous challenge for Steveson and likely one that should be saved until later on in his career, Steveson could match up well with Blaydes. Blaydes has often been criticized for his wrestling-heavy offense that doesn't always lead to the most action-packed fights. That makes sense for Blaydes, who holds his own wrestling credentials as a NJCAA national champion.
However, one has to think that Olympic champion Steveson would hold the advantage in this department, which makes this one an intriguing bout. So a bout between the pair would likely become a stand-up scrap or alternatively a showcase of high level wrestling.
In any case, this fight has the potential to be very specialm and should Steveson win, it would cement him as an elite contender.
#2 Derrick Lewis
This one would be entertaining for very different reasons than Curtis Blaydes. Lewis is no Olympian and no specialist wrestler, but he is still a top fighter in the division.
Steveson would have several big advantages in this one, and would have a clearer path to victory should he be able to take the big down. Of course, this is often easier said than done against Lewis as Blaydes found out to his own detriment.
Lewis also brings his antics out of the cage, which could be fun. Given Steveson has proved himself to be a very competent speaker, it could lead to some fun interactions between the pair in the build-up. This would be a high-profile bout and another one that could elevate Steveson to the top of the division.
#1 Brock Lesnar
Yes, this one is extremely unlikely to happen. But if we are talking 'dream match' literally, there's not a fight out there for Steveson with more back story than Brock Lesnar.
The two have followed incredibly similar career paths, as both won national championships in wrestling at the University of Minnesota.
They also both then sought out pastures new, with Lesnar going first to WWE in a move we may very well see Steveson follow. In fact, there is actually a much better chance that we see this bout take place inside a WWE ring, particularly given how close the pair are in real life.
However, imagine how big a deal this fight would be. Lesnar, who has often flirted with a return to the octagon, doesn't have too many fights that would make sense at this stage of his career. This one would be a gigantic clash of old vs new and could immediately headline any UFC pay-per-view. While this is a bout we will likely miss out on, one can only dream about what a spectacle it would be if it happens.
