Steveson, the 2020 Olympic wrestling champion, is widely considered the top prospect in heavyweight MMA.
If 2026 is to be the year Gable Steveson arrives in the UFC, he certainly isn't wasting any time. Steveson, the Olympic wrestling champion who's widely considered the top prospect in heavyweight MMA, is set to return against Hugo Lezama on Feb. 19 at Mexico Fight League 3 at the ShowCenter in Monterrey, Mexico.
Steveson (2-0 MMA) ended 2025 on a torrid pace in pursuit of his UFC dreams, picking up three knockout wins across combat sports in as many months after committing full-time to a professional MMA career. He debuted in September with a highlight-reel first-round stoppage of Braden Petersen under the LFA banner, transitioned over to Mike Perry's Dirty Boxing promotion for another impressive 15-second knockout of Billy Swanson in October, the capped off his year with a brutal 24-second knockout of Kevin Hein at Anthony Pettis FC 21 in late November.
Lezama (11-3 MMA) is a 37-year-old veteran with nine stoppage wins across more than 11 years of experience as a professional. He's won four of his past six bouts, most recently losing a decision to Shamil Ismailov in a modified rules bout this past December.
Just five months into his new career, Steveson, 25, is already nearly unanimously hailed as the No. 1 heavyweight prospect in MMA. Along with being a two-time NCAA Division I national champion and two-time Dan Hodge Trophy winner — the award given annually to collegiate athletics' top freestyle wrestler — Steveson is best known for his run through the 2020 Olympic Games, where he stunned the global field at just 21 years old to become the youngest freestyle wrestler in his division to ever win gold.
Steveson also had brief stints with the NFL's Buffalo Bills and WWE before making the full-time transition to MMA in 2025, where he's benefitted from the tutelage of UFC legend Jon Jones.
Steveson told Uncrowned in November that he spoke to UFC matchmaker Mick Maynard following his quick win over Swanson at Dirty Boxing 4, which Maynard was ringside to witness, and that their dialogue was "healthy." Steveson said in the same interview that he is taking things slow in the early stages of his MMA career and not putting a specific number on the amount of fight experience he hopes to gain on the sport's regional scene before signing with a major promotion like the UFC.
"Whenever I feel confident enough," Steveson said of making the jump to MMA's next level. "I feel confident right now. But whenever I feel like we are at that time, that Jon [Jones] looks me in the face and says, 'Hey, now is the time to take that next step' — when he says it, we'll be ready and take it from there. But man, I'm fully confident right now that I can go into a big promotion and make waves. But I'm not at that point, and I don't like to speak too far ahead — I do see myself being something special.
"It's [Jones'] call, but ultimately it's my call too. We have a good transparency on what he thinks is best, but he also listens to a lot of things I say. He's also really big on, 'If you want to go ahead and do it, let's do it.' So I think that's where we're at with our relationship, and he'll make the best call for me. Competitive-wise, I think he'll know — and I'll know — when I'm ready."
Steveson also noted to Uncrowned that making his UFC debut on the promotion's planned June 2026 White House card alongside Jones would be his "perfect world" scenario.
UFC CEO Dana White confirmed in December that Steveson is "on the radar, big time" for the UFC and that the promotion is "very much" interested in procuring his services once he gains enough experience.
For Steveson, that journey continues on Feb. 19 in Mexico.
Category: General Sports
