Gable Steveson explains Gophers return, as UFC’s Jon Jones sees a future in mixed martial arts

He’s a 6-foot-1, 265-pound Olympic champion wrestler who’s strong as an ox and quick as a hiccup. He spent a training camp with the Buffalo Bills and had other NFL teams kicking his tires even though he’d never played football. And he’s been labeled by UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones to be a future champ in mixed martial arts should he opt for that career. The combat sports world is Gable Steveson’s oyster, and he’s going back to his roots in amateur wrestling, where he first made a name for himself as a dominant prep grappler at Apple Valley High School before winning a pair of NCAA championships with the Gophers and a gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021. Last week, coach Brandon Eggum announced that Steveson, 24, will use his final season of eligibility — available through a waiver for an Olympic redshirt year — to compete with the Gophers. Steveson, who has an 85-2 career collegiate record and a 52-match winning streak, will seek his third NCAA heavyweight championship. On Monday, Steveson and Eggum held a news conference to discuss the move. “My goal has always been to just be as dominant as possible, and especially this year, I just want to go out there and put out a good product once again,” Steveson said. “… Minnesota fans like seeing Gable wrestle. So, if you’ve got the year left, why not do it again?” Steveson will make his season debut in Sunday’s 1 p.m. dual meet against Campbell at Maturi Pavilion. His likely opponent is no slouch. Campbell heavyweight Taye Ghadiali finished eighth in the 2024 NCAA tournament and on Saturday defeated No. 3-ranked Nick Feldman of Ohio State in the NWCA All-Star Classic. Eggum, who coached Steveson during his run to the Olympic gold that was capped by a dramatic comeback to beat Georgia’s Geno Petriashvili, sees a better, more mature version of Steveson. “This guy is not just the best in the country, but the best in the world,” Eggum said. During the 2½ years since he won his second NCAA title in 2022, Steveson was under contract with WWE but was released in May. He never became popular with pro wrestling fans and had only one televised match. Monday, he said he had no regrets from his time with WWE.