Gable Steveson Becomes the Biggest Upset in UFC History, Surpassing Ronda Rousey and Georges St-Pierre
The Jon Jones protege has left the MMA fandom gaping after his latest loss became the biggest betting upset in the sport.
Gable Steveson entered UFC 331 as a major favourite against Sean Sharaf (0-2), with his illustrious Olympic wrestling resume before he switched to MMA last year. Since then, he has produced one-round KO/TKO spectacles.
Naturally, 'Loophole' was favoured to win the bout, even though his personality and past allegations had many fans on the edge. Sharaf, however, didn't hesitate to shatter that expectation.
Gable Steveson Tips Over Huge Betting Odds
Within just 12 seconds, the top-dog heavyweight ate a devastating left hook, knocking him out cold. This marked his first loss in MMA, bringing his record to 4-1. What makes this even more surprising are the fighters' betting odds. Where Steveson boasted a massive -2500, Sharaf was a +1000 underdog.
🚨 Gable Steveson: Officially the biggest loser in UFC history. pic.twitter.com/mbdvooyIpR
— ape (@qpe) September 20, 2026
While one must expect the unexpected with the UFC, the UFC 311 heavyweight bout has become the biggest upset yet. That may come as a surprise, given the year's letdowns.
Ilia Topuria lost his crown to Justin Gaethje, while Sean Strickland defeated Khamzat Chimaev. The 'Notorious' also returned from a 5-year hiatus just to leave the cage after a 69-second stint. Historically, however, Steveson's loss has challenged even more imposing names.
The featherweight queen Ronda Rousey, too, held only -1400 odds for her first MMA loss against Holly Holm in UFC 193. Steveson is the first to surpass that benchmark. Meanwhile, one of the sport's biggest names, Georges St-Pierre, was -1300 for his loss to Matt Serra in UFC 69.
Apparently, Jones' training partner is already breaking records, albeit not for the best reasons. In fact, the heavyweight phenom left the Octagon before Sharaf's hand was even raised, drawing criticism from UFC great Daniel Cormier.
While this doesn't necessarily mean the end for Gable Steveson's MMA career, there are some major gaps he needs to address.
Gable Steveson Back to the Drawing Board
A major flaw that came forward after the fight was definitely the Olympic champion's striking defense. While his wrestling and power remain elite, if Steveson cannot take a punch, it'll be a rough stay for him inside the Octagon.
Clearly, it's highly unlikely the wrestling phenom will return to the cage before the first or second quarter of 2027. As for his team, Steveson's manager has also come forward in support of the fighter, who has recently received relentless backlash from the MMA community.
UFC boss Dana White has also acknowledged the sport's unpredictability. "Anything is possible when two guys get in there and start fighting. You never know how fights are going to go," White told the post-fight press conference.
Apparently, neither the UFC nor his team are counting out Gable Steveson any time soon. It's now only up to time to see where this trajectory goes.
