Jon Jones has tipped Gable Steveson to become a UFC champion when he transitions to MMA.
The heavyweight champion looked flawless as he knocked out Stipe Miocic to defend his title for the first time at UFC 309, which took place at the world-famous Madison Square Garden in New York on Saturday night.
Post-fight, Jon Jones suggested that he will retire if the UFC refuses to let him fight Alex Pereira next.
Then he talked up a future MMA champion who hasn’t even debuted in the sport yet.
Jon Jones names ‘scary’ star of the future
Gable Stevenson was in camp with Jon Jones and clearly impressed him ahead of UFC 309.
‘Bones’ is extremely confident that his new friend will reach the pinnacle of MMA.
“Gable has everything it takes. You know, one of his first days at practice, one of my teammates got injured sparring with me, and Gable was like, ‘I’ll go in’,” Jones said during his UFC 309 post-fight press conference.
“I’m like, ‘Gable, you might wanna learn how to block and defend yourself first. It can be a lot more difficult than it seems’ – but let me know in that moment that he’s very game.
“I kneed him in the face at one of his very first practices. He ate it, and he looked like a little kid who had just found a new toy.
“He’s gonna be scary, he’s gonna be very scary when he decides to do MMA. He knows how to make men appear very weak, me being one of them.
“When he learns how to box and learns a little about jiu-jitsu, it’s not a matter of if he’ll become a UFC champion, it’s when he’ll be a UFC champion.
“Whether he trains in Albuquerque with our family or finds a different team, whoever has him are going to be really blessed to have him.”
Who is Gable Steveson?
Gable Stevenson is an elite-level wrestler who won gold at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021.
The 24-year-old flirted with a move to MMA immediately after retiring from his first sport.
However, he ended up launching a professional wrestling career and signing with the WWE.
Earlier this year, he was cut by the WWE before changing sports again and inking a three-year contract with the Buffalo Bills, who he was expected to play defensive line for in the NFL before being released in August.
Now he appears to have finally committed to MMA. Steveson has been working on his game with the very best, and it seems like just a matter of time be he officially announces his transition to combat sports.
If Jones is right, Steveson will sign for the UFC and become one of its biggest stars in the next few years.