Gable Steveson thinks he’ll live up to high expectations for MMA heavyweight run: ‘We are trained for pressure’

Gable Steveson has a ton of eyeballs on him in the MMA world, and he wouldn’t have it any other way.

Steveson is currently training under the mentorship of surefire future UFC Hall of Famer Jon Jones. “Bones” has touted Steveson as the next big thing in heavyweight MMA. Thus far, Steveson has racked up three quick first-round knockout wins. Two of those bouts were contested under MMA rules, while another took place under the Dirty Boxing Championship banner.

The more impressive finishes he earns, the more fans will call for him to be on the UFC roster. During an interview with MMAFighting.com, Steveson said that he’s not shying away from the high expectations.

“There’s no pressure,” Steveson said. “I’ve been in those big spots before. I’ve been in a lot of places where [it’s like] ‘can Gable do it?’ and I have done it and I’ve kind of rewritten a lot of things for myself. There’s no pressure. It’s just another day.

“We show up and we are trained for pressure. We’re trained for that and pressure makes diamonds. Like I always say, Gable gets money and he gets a lot of it. With those diamonds, he’ll keep creating.”

Steveson is set to collide with Hugo Lezama on Thursday. The bout will headline “MFL 3” in Mexico. Lezama enters the bout with a pro MMA record of 11-3. He is looking for his first victory since Nov. 2024 when he defeated Victor de Paula at “Budo Sento Championship 26.”

If Steveson gets another first-round finish, it’ll leave many wondering how long it’ll be before the Olympic gold medalist gets a contract offer from UFC. Dana White recently told Jim Rome that he’s keeping tabs on Steveson.

Do you think Gable Steveson is the real deal or is it too early to tell? Sound off in the comment section below.