Dana White ‘keeping his eyes’ on Gable Steveson ahead of Olympic gold medalist’s potential UFC signing

UFC CEO Dana White has blue-chip heavyweight prospect Gable Steveson at the top of his wish list.

Many elite athletes in other sports outside of MMA have made their way to the UFC Octagon. Bo Nickal, Greg Hardy, and many emerging young talents have put out mixed results inside the cage.

The strongest case for this sentiment is former UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar, who turned from a WWE standout to one of the best heavyweights to ever compete inside the Octagon. Gable Steveson, an Olympic Gold Medalist in freestyle wrestling, is on the verge of becoming the latest high-level athlete to enter the Octagon.

Steveson followed up an impressive professional MMA debut with a brutal knockout in Dirty Boxing last week. He could be on the UFC’s radar quickly, according to UFC CEO Dana White.

Dana White eyes Gable Steveson for future heavyweight UFC signing

During a recent appearance on The Jim Rome Show, White reacted to Steveson’s early MMA success and teased a potential future UFC signing.

Gable Steveson MAULS Braden Peterson in the first round of his MMA debut.

WHAT A START TO HIS CAREER 🔥 #LFA217 @LFAfighting pic.twitter.com/cN1zffVCU3

— UFC FIGHT PASS (@UFCFightPass) September 13, 2025

“When you have someone who is a physical freak, an incredible athlete, and a guy who has competed at the highest level, and then they start transitioning into a combat sport like this, it’s very interesting,” White said of Steveson.

“We’re definitely keeping our eyes on him and we’ll see how this plays out.”

White was then pressed on what he needs to see from Steveson to earn a shot at a UFC contract.

“Think about this – Brock Lesnar came over here from the WWE. He was such a strong wrestler that he was able to win a title. Now you have a guy like this, with his wrestling background, working his way up in the smaller leagues and getting some experience,” White said.

“He’ll eventually end up here, and we’ll find out what he’s capable of doing.”