The fight at UFC 331? Absolute madness. Gable Steveson, the Olympic champion everyone pegged as the next big thing, got brutally knocked out by Sean Sharaf in a mind-blowing 12 seconds. Seriously, 12 seconds! That’s the third-fastest knockout in heavyweight history, and what makes it even crazier is Steveson walked in as a ridiculous -2400 favorite. Wild, right?
From Future Champ To 12-Second KO: What Happened?
Steveson, just 25 years old, was the guy everyone had their eyes on. He was supposed to be a future star in the 265-pound division, a legitimate contender for heavyweight champion status. And yeah, there was plenty of reason to believe the hype. We’re talking about an Olympic gold medalist who was training under none other than Jon Jones himself, with legendary coaches like Greg Jackson in his corner. That’s an elite setup, a recipe for success, or so we thought.
But that 12-second shocker? It threw everything out the window. Veterans like Matt Brown and Colby Covington immediately started wondering aloud if Steveson needed to ditch Jones’ camp and find a new home. Even Jon Anik was questioning if Steveson would even hit 10 UFC fights after such a brutal, career-altering setback. The fall from grace for the massive favorite was stunning, leaving everyone scratching their heads.
Joe Rogan: When The GOAT Makes You Feel Unbeatable
Now, Joe Rogan has weighed in with his take, and honestly, it makes a ton of sense. On his latest JRE MMA Show #186, talking with Sean Sharaf himself, Rogan suggested that training with Jon Jones, the undisputed GOAT, might have made Steveson a little too reckless. The commentator believes Steveson might have started seeing himself as the “next Jon Jones” before he’d actually put in the work to earn that title. Rogan nailed it when he said, “That’s the problem: you’re hanging out with a guy who’s the GOAT, and you start thinking you’re the next guy. You might be. You could be, if you do the right things. But if you believe it before it happens? You have to be cautious but also confident. There’s this dance of the mind. There’s so much going on to be an elite fighter.”
Think about it. Jones isn’t just “good,” he’s one of the greatest fighters ever, period. We’re talking 16 UFC title fight wins, championship gold in two divisions, and wins over a stacked list of former world champions. So when a legend like that takes you under his wing and believes you’re the future, it’s easy to see how that confidence could spiral into a feeling of invincibility. It’s a mental tightrope walk, and maybe Steveson just lost his balance.
The Wild Dance of MMA: Why Sharaf’s Upset Still Proves It
Rogan brought up Kamaru Usman as another example, and it’s a perfect one. Remember Usman in his prime? He looked absolutely unstoppable, on track to eclipse Georges St-Pierre as the greatest welterweight ever. Then, out of nowhere, that shocking knockout loss to Leon Edwards at UFC 278. Usman was dominating that fight for four rounds, and then , boom , one head kick, title gone. As Rogan put it, “You have to be aware. Look at Kamaru Usman. Beating Leon Edwards for four rounds, all of a sudden one head kick , boom, lost the title. Never the same guy because you’re human. As tough as Kamaru is, he’s a f*cking human being.” It’s a harsh reminder that in MMA, literally anything can happen.
And let’s give props to Sean Sharaf for proving that truth loud and clear. This guy walked into UFC 331 with zero UFC wins in his previous two outings, a massive underdog, and finished the Olympic champion in 12 seconds. That’s why we love this sport! Rogan summed it up perfectly, saying, “It’s a wild dance of possibilities, but it’s also one of the reasons why people love the sport so much. What you did elevated the whole sport.” This wasn’t just a win, it was a seismic shift, and it completely embodies the unpredictable nature of MMA.
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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