One of the greatest heavyweight wrestlers of this era is finally making his transition to MMA.
Gable Steveson, the American Olympian who made history at the 2020 Games as the youngest freestyle wrestler to ever win Olympic gold at super heavyweight, is set to make his long-awaited professional MMA debut against Braden Peterson on Sept. 12 at LFA 217. The event is expected to take place in Steveson’s home state of Minnesota, at the Mystic Lake Casino Hotel in Prior Lake.
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LFA and Steveson announced the news Tuesday. Steveson’s reveal statement can be watched below.
Steveson, 25, is also a two-time NCAA Division I national champion with the University of Minnesota and a two-time Dan Hodge Trophy winner, the award given annually to collegiate athletics’ top freestyle wrestler. Steveson is one of just six multiple-time winners of the Hodge Trophy and the only heavyweight to accomplish the feat more than once.
Yet Steveson is best known for his run through the 2020 Olympic Games, where he stunned the global field at just 21 years old to become the youngest freestyle wrestler in his division to ever win gold. Already a 2021 NCAA champion by that point, Steveson then returned to college and cruised to his second consecutive NCAA championship in 2022, establishing himself as one of the most dominant amateur wrestlers of all time before departing the college ranks to capitalize on his success.
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However, after failed runs with the WWE and the NFL’s Buffalo Bills, Steveson returned to University of Minnesota this past year to fulfill his final year of eligibility and win another NCAA title — a goal that was infamously derailed by Wyatt Hendrickson’s last-second heroics in the NCAA championship finals. Prior to that match, Steveson’s dominance throughout the 2025 NCAA season was so unparalleled that he hadn’t relinquished even a single takedown throughout the season and season-ending tournament.
The Minnesota native has since trained alongside a smattering of MMA coaches and teams, including Las Vegas’ Syndicate MMA. Steveson also notably helped UFC legend and former two-division champion Jon Jones prepare for a November 2024 defense of the UFC heavyweight title against Stipe Miocic, which Jones won via knockout.
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Considering his youth and remarkable wrestling pedigree, Steveson instantly enters MMA as one of the top blue-chip prospects in the sport.
His opponent for his upcoming debut, 37-year-old Peterson (1-0), earned a 14-second knockout of Chris Thompson in July in his own professional debut with Fusion Fight League.
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