Gable Steveson hopes Jon Jones’ presence creates additional fear for opponents ahead of UFC 329

Olympic wrestling gold medalist Gable Steveson is poised to make his UFC debut at UFC 329, facing Elisha Ellison in what marks the beginning of his octagon career. The 26-year-old heavyweight prospect brings a perfect 3–0 record in MMA with three first-round finishes, plus a 15-second knockout in Dirty Boxing, and recently logged a technical fall victory over former UFC fighter Alexandr Romanov at RAF 9 in May.

Steveson is trained by and serves as a protégé of Jon Jones, the retired former two-division champion widely regarded as one of MMA's all-time greats. According to Steveson, Jones takes considerable pride in passing on his skill set and competitive mindset to the younger fighter. "He's got high hopes for me," Steveson told MMA Fighting. "I think he kind of sees his skill set, and kind of sees what I can do with his skill set." Steveson believes Jones's presence cageside will provide more than personal confidence—it may also unsettle opponents. "If you look when we walk out and Jon walks out, the opponents are going to look at Jon and be like, 'Wow, that's the greatest of all time in the corner of Gable Steveson," Steveson explained, suggesting that foes may feel intimidated knowing they face a fighter taught by Jones himself.

Jones, who retired and vacated his heavyweight title (now held by Tom Aspinall), was notably absent from the UFC White House card despite the promotion's announcement. When asked whether Jones might return to compete alongside Steveson, the prospect remained noncommittal. "Yeah, it would be really cool if he fought again, but Jon's going to do whatever Jon wants to do, and if he wants to fight again, he'll fight again, but we'll see," Steveson said. For now, all eyes remain on Steveson's maiden octagon walk and whether Jones's aura will indeed create the psychological edge the heavyweight prospect anticipates.