Michael Bisping addresses s**ual assault allegations on Gable Steveson, worries about his return from UFC loss
Michael Bisping has shed light on the concerns surrounding Gable Steveson's first MMA defeat and the s**ual assault accusations hurting his public perception.
Gable Steveson, an Olympic gold medalist in the men's 125 kg category in the sport of freestyle wrestling, has long been touted as a future UFC heavyweight champion.
Nevertheless, his latest professional MMA fight, which was his second appearance under the UFC promotional banner, witnessed him suffer his first defeat in the sport. He was knocked out cold 12 seconds into his fight against Sean Sharaf at UFC 331 in Los Angeles on September 19.
UFC Hall of Famer Michael Bisping has now chimed in on Steveson's loss, in addition to addressing the longstanding s**ual assault allegations against the wrestling standout.
The Minnesota "loophole" debacle and s**ual assault allegations against Gable Steveson
Per an Associated Press report via ESPN back in 2019, Gable Steveson and his fellow University of Minnesota wrestler Dylan Martinez were arrested under the suspicion of criminal s**ual conduct against a female, who had approached the police to report that she had been r*ped by Steveson and Martinez on June 15, 2019.
Nevertheless, in December of that year, Mike Freeman, the Hennepin County Attorney, indicated that the prosecution couldn't move forward with the case due to insufficient evidence. However, what caught the attention of many observers was the consent under intoxication angle, which was deemed a key element -- a Minnesota legal loophole at the time.
The complainant was believed to have been impaired due to alcohol consumption during the time of the alleged crime, which, her supporters asserted, made her incapable of consenting to any s**ual activity. Subsequently, Minnesota lawmakers lobbied for changes to the law, eventually changing it to protect intoxicated victims in such cases.
Meanwhile, Steveson went on to win Olympic gold for his nation, the United States of America, in 2020. He also tried his hand at American Football and wrestling-based scripted sports entertainment in the WWE. He later moved to mixed martial arts, even making his UFC debut in July with a knockout win over Elisha Ellison at UFC 329. It was followed by his KO loss against Sean Sharaf last week.
Michael Bisping suggests that Gable Steveson's vicious KO loss coupled with the s**ual assault allegations could make his UFC comeback a tall task
In an edition of his Believe You Me podcast, Michael Bisping and fellow UFC veteran Paul Felder discussed Saturday's UFC 331 event. "The Count" specifically talked about Gable Steveson's UFC setback and the vast negativity in regard to his public perception.
Bisping stated, "It's hard. Listen, we know about the accusations (against Gable Steveson). We know that Sean (Sharaf) leaned into that stuff... Sean was leaning into that stuff all week. He had the crowd on his side. Gable walked out; the boos were crazy. And then when he got knocked out; the boos were even louder as he was leaving, as he was getting helped out of the Octagon. They were booing even louder."
England's Bisping harked back to how he was booed against America's Dan Henderson -- in their iconic UK vs. USA grudge match -- at UFC 100 in America back in 2009. Henderson brutally KO'd him in that matchup, but he recalled that his return to the United Kingdom in his next fight saw him get cheered again.
On that note, Bisping questioned where Gable Steveson would go, insinuating that his own countrymen strongly oppose him. The former UFC middleweight champion implied that the concerns surrounding Steveson's UFC and MMA future are valid -- as the bad knockout defeat has dashed his hype and the s**ual assault allegations are a constant thorn in his side, which could all prevent him from achieving stardom and success in the sport.
Watch Michael Bisping discuss Gable Steveson's tough road to UFC success below (*comments at the 3:00-minute mark of the video):
