Brock Lesnar might have reached even greater heights in the UFC if he had gained some MMA experience before diving straight into the promotion—something Gable Steveson appears poised to do. The Olympic gold medalist made his MMA debut LFA 217 in September and secured a first round KO win. He has continued that run with Dirty Boxing at DBX 4 against Billy Swanson in a heavyweight contest. He bulldozed through Swanson in just 15 seconds of the first round, impressing people ringside.

Both Jon Jones, his trainer/mentor, and UFC’s Vice President of Talent Relations, Mick Maynard, were in the sea of audience. This has sparked chatter about the two-time NCAA champion’s entry in the UFC. However, if this really happens, could he really make the same mistake as Lesnar? MMAFighting’s writer Jed Meshew seems to think so.

Gable Steveson predicted to beat UFC top 15 heavyweights

“Gable Steveson is the best prospect [to] ever enter MMA,” Meshew said in an interview with Submission Radio. While he expressed some uncertainty about how Steveson will perform against elite-level opponents, Meshew acknowledged that, on paper, the heavyweight standout’s credentials are unmatched. “He competes in a dog s—t weight class. He could probably walk into the UFC and beat top 15 dudes right now purely based on his wrestling athleticism.”

Meshew further noted that Steveson’s success hinges on his health and durability. “As long as he doesn’t get diverticulitis and/or can, at least, take a punch, you never know, he hasn’t really been cracked yet, he’s, at the minimum, going to be like a high-level heavyweight,” he added. If you remember, Lesnar struggled with diverticulitis, which really hindered his ability to take shots to the body. The Alistair Overeem fight was a perfect example.

Lesnar underwent two separate surgeries, in 2009 and 2011, after being diagnosed with diverticulitis. He had to have a foot of his colon removed. According to his doctors, Lesnar went undiagnosed for almost a year, which did not help his condition. And when he returned against Overeem in December 2011, a body kick was all it took to crumble him like a deck of cards.

Despite that cautious note, Meshew predicted that Steveson’s most likely path would lead him to a UFC championship. However, he expressed concern that Steveson could follow the same path as Brock Lesnar—entering MMA with limited fighting experience.

“We should all be excited about it and hope that they don’t f—k it up by trying to like Brock Lesnar him,” Meshew warned. To avoid that pitfall, he proposed a more gradual approach. “The UFC should sign him and have him fight in LFA five times. He should fight once a month for the next 6 months, [and] learn how to fist fight.” Meshew’s suggestion comes in light of the UFC’s strong developmental partnership with Legacy Fighting Alliance (LFA), which airs on UFC Fight Pass and has produced numerous UFC stars.

He believes Steveson should only debut in the UFC once he’s fully acclimated to striking. “Then he can make his UFC debut with the White House card, and we can go from there. But don’t rush him too soon. Let him develop because the juice will be worth the squeeze,” Meshew told Submission Radio. 

Gable Steveson’s path closely mirrors that of Brock Lesnar—an elite amateur wrestler from Minnesota who transitioned into WWE with massive hype. But Steveson could be heading toward a similar downfall if he takes the same route.

But that may not be the case, given that Steveson is training with someone like Jon Jones who knows the game better than most. With that association, should the UFC even consider associating with Steveson? Nonetheless, despite Meshew’s concern, Steveson appears to be eager to show what he can do.

Steveson wants to kick off his UFC career

Despite his lack of MMA experience, the 25-year-old looked comfortable on his feet against Billy Swanson. This appears to have given him the confidence he needed to take the next step in his career. Having defeated his PFL and Bellator veteran opponent at DBX 4, Steveson composed himself after celebrating a successful debut and addressed the special guest watching from ringside. 

“I think a special guest was here to come watch me,” Steveson said, referring to Mick Maynard. Seeing his opportunity and the buzz around his name, Steveson took his shot. “Mick, you’ve seen a little bit. I would love to show a lot more,” the Olympic gold medalist said confidently. “Hopefully, you believe in me, and I appreciate you.” 

There’s no doubt that Gable Steveson is one of the hottest and brightest prospects to enter MMA. But can he really fall into the same pitfall as Brock Lesnar? Should the UFC or Steveson himself get more acclimated to getting punched first?