Gable Steveson, once a massive favorite, got absolutely rocked and knocked out in a shocking 12 seconds by Sean Sharaf at UFC 331 on Saturday night at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. The upset was so wild, it’s already being called one of the biggest in UFC history, and now former interim UFC champion Colby Covington is sounding off, laying the blame squarely on Steveson’s mentor.
The 12-Second Nightmare and Why Chaos Saw It Coming
Covington didn’t mince words after the fight, telling Submission Radio, “I definitely saw this coming.” He’s convinced Steveson was “over-hyping himself, overlooking other competitors,” and thought he was “invincible.” Seriously, the guy’s an Olympic-champ wrestler, right? So why isn’t he using it? Chaos points out Steveson’s been “just going straight into striking,” completely forgetting “what got you to the dance.” He wonders if it’s cardio issues or just falling “in love with the hands,” but either way, abandoning his roots is “a recipe for disaster.”
Covington Calls Jon Jones a ‘Demon’ and Bad Energy
But here’s where it gets spicy. Covington isn’t just critical of Steveson’s strategy. He’s pointing the finger directly at Jon Jones, Steveson’s former college roommate, calling him a “bad mentor and coach.” Covington went off, saying, “Jon Jones is bad energy. That guy is a demon, man.” He ripped into Jones, bringing up a “long laundry list of bad things he’s done to women, to people, to cops, to drug testers,” declaring him “a horrible person, bro.” Covington believes “When you align yourself with, and you’re surrounded by that bad energy all the time, it’s going to rub off on you.” He insists Steveson needs to cut ties with “freaking piece of sh*t people like Jon Jones,” get to a new camp, and get focused on his wrestling again.
So what does Gable Steveson do now? With a 4-1 MMA record and a 1-1 UFC standing, that 12-second KO is a huge setback, especially after being the favorite. Covington’s advice is brutal but direct: “cut Jon Jones, and get to a new camp, and get focused, and start believing, and start using his wrestling.” For Steveson, the stakes are clear. His career path just got a massive wake-up call, and if he wants to salvage it, he might have to listen to his harshest critic and go back to what made him an Olympic champion.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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