Gable Steveson Not Happy With 'Coward' Sharaf

Gable Steveson isn't happy with his UFC 331 opponent, Sean Sharaf. Speaking at media day ahead of his main card bout with Sharaf, Steveson described his opponent as a 'coward' for bringing up Steveson's past.

Steveson was arrested in June 2019 on suspicion of criminal sexual conduct after an alleged incident whilst at the University of Minnesota. Criminal charges were never filed, but this didn't stop Sharaf branding Steveson a "rapist" in a social media post.

Sharaf commented on a post stating, 'this is like the 4th collab they do with him what's up with that @ufc guess Marines aren't worthy of interviews just rapists'.

Responding to that post during media day, Steveson said, "I feel like if guys are going to bring up certain things, it's a coward coming up out of him. It's a guy that's showing up for his own will and to say, 'Hey, I'm a sacrificial lamb.' And that's what he's going to be Saturday, and we will show the world once again that Gable Steveson is going to keep upgrading himself and keep being the best he can possibly be."

With that being said, there's no reason to suggest that Sharaf shouldn't bring up Steveson's murky past. Many times, criminal misdemeanours have been brought up during fight promotion, whether morally correct or not.

Steveson went on to say that "I'm here to win. I'm not here to joke around. I'm not here to sh*t talk. I'm not here to be a rude person to anybody. I'm here to win and go home, and that's my whole objective".

The Olympic gold medalist is just 1-0 in the UFC and 4-0 in MMA overall. His debut came at UFC 329 when he blitzed through Elisha Ellison in extremely convincing fashion. Whilst he's an amazing talent, he still has a lot to learn in the game and that continues at FUC 331 on Saturday night.