Israel Adesanya Drops a Concerning Reaction to Gable Steveson’s Shocking UFC 331 Loss

Gable Steveson was heavily hyped as the next big thing in the UFC heavyweight division. Having a close rapport with Jon Jones, many touted him as the able successor of ‘Bones.’

Unfortunately, the Olympic gold medalist’s night against Sean Sharaf did not go as planned. Getting knocked out early on, Steveson garnered a lot of reactions from the MMA community. While many criticized Steveson, Israel Adesanya seemed genuinely concerned for the American star. 

Going into the fight, nobody expected Sharaf to pull off such an unexpected stunt. Within 12 seconds, he managed to put the former NCAA champion to sleep. Looking at the manner in which Steveson got knocked out, ‘The Last Stylebender’ opined that the Olympian needed significant time off from fighting. 

Adesanya said, “It was bad my (censored)… It was the way the head snapped back and you see him just stiffen up. Those are the bad ones. Those are the ones where you’re like oh (expletive deleted,) you gotta make sure this guy takes like 5-6 months no contact. Those are the ones that you’re throwing gang signs with the toes…”

Following the loss, Steveson looked visibly upset. Soon after regaining consciousness, Steveson walked out of the octagon before the official announcements were made. 

Gable Steveson’s Manager Doesn't Want to Give Loss Much Importance 

It is true that Steveson suffered one of the biggest upset victories in UFC history. But that doesn’t mean that the Olympic gold medalist’s future in the UFC will take a hit. Speaking on the matter, Steveson’s manager, Abe Kawa, cited examples of Jose Aldo, Georges St-Pierre, and more to make his point clear. 

Kawa said, “It's OK that Gable got caught. It's OK that he was booed. It's OK his opponent talked shit. It's OK that the world is kicking him when down. It's the life he chose. Islam got clipped. Arman has lost. DJ has lost. GSP lost. DC lost. Jose Aldo lost. All went on to have absolutely legendary careers. We stand by our guy. He will be back real soon, and he will be great!"

As the UFC realm prays for a speedy recovery, it will be interesting to see what’s next for Steveson.