Sean Sharaf trolls Gable Steveson with "gold medal" jibe after KO at UFC 331

Sean Sharaf has lately been one of the most vocal critics of wrestling savant Gable Steveson.

In addition to questioning Steveson over the s**ual assault allegations he'd faced in the past, including a controversial legal battle, Sharaf had also insinuated that his fellow American isn't as skilled a fighter as some believe. 

Their heavyweight grudge match took place at UFC 331 in Los Angeles on Saturday, September 19. It witnessed Sharaf secure a stunning first-round KO win just 12 seconds into their clash. The 33-year-old appears to have continued his feud with Steveson -- despite expressing mutual respect after their fight -- and has taken to trolling the Olympian. 

Sean Sharaf was a massive underdog against Gable Steveson at UFC 331

Sean Sharaf entered UFC 331 on a two-fight losing streak. The former U.S. Marine found himself on the receiving end of a TKO loss at the hands of Junior Tafa back in 2024. He followed that up with a back-and-forth showdown against Steven Asplund last year, suffering another TKO defeat. 

On the contrary, Gable Steveson was deemed to be one of the brightest prospects in all of mixed martial arts. The 2020 Olympic gold medalist (125 kg category) in freestyle wrestling was hailed as an extraordinary athlete. Steveson had also tried his hand at American Football and pro wrestling-based sports entertainment in the WWE in the past. 

Sean Sharaf trolls Gable Steveson with gold medal jibe after KO win at UFC 331

During an appearance on the Weighing In podcast, Sean Sharaf spoke to ex-UFC lightweight Josh Thomson and MMA journalist John Morgan. The heavyweight indicated that the UFC, as many fans and experts believed, were looking to build Steveson's star power with a win over him. Nevertheless, he viewed it as an opportunity to steal the star athlete's hype and more. 

Sharaf stated, "You can look at it two ways -- yeah, sure, it's probably the UFC's plan, but it's also an opportunity." 

Moreover, "The Smoke" explained, "I saw him getting all the interviews. I saw him with Jon Jones. I saw him -- he's named after Dan Gable. This dude hasn't lost since -- I don't even know when he last lost. And I was like, bro, I beat this guy, and I get all of that. I should take all of that. I should get a f**king Olympic gold medal after this, maybe, I don't know..." 

Presently, Sharaf is dealing with a few lingering injuries and is unlikely to make a quick turnaround. As for Steveson, a number of observers have affirmed that the 26-year-old is still a UFC heavyweight champion in the making, the vicious defeat as well as the serious allegations against him notwithstanding. 

Watch Sean Sharaf jab at Gable Steveson below (*comments at the 4:55-minute mark of the video):