Gable Steveson is still waiting for a call from the UFC, but in the meantime, he has reunited with his mentor, former heavyweight champion Jon Jones. The union comes on the heels of a major announcement involving the Olympic gold medalist, as Steveson prepares to step back into the cage.

Steveson is set to face the most experienced opponent of his young MMA career, Hugo Lezama, in his third professional bout. The headlining fight is scheduled for February 19 in Monterrey, Nuevo León. Ahead of the matchup, Steveson took to Instagram to share footage from a recent training session alongside ‘Bones.’

Jon Jones shows Gable Steveson the ropes

“Training,” wrote Steveson simply, as he shared a series of videos. In the clips, the 25-year-old can be seen working on the mitts before transitioning to wrestling with Jones on the mat. In another video, Steveson reunites with Jones for pad work, followed by footage of him drilling an abdominal kick. He is later seen practicing Jones’ own trademark spinning body kick.

Gable Steveson has already made a name for himself in the MMA world, compiling an undefeated 2–0 record. He earned a first-round knockout victory over Braden Peterson in his professional debut at LFA 217. He then briefly shifted his focus to Dirty Boxing, where he defeated Billy Swanson, before returning to MMA with a recent knockout win over Kevin Hein at Anthony Pettis FC.

Now, Steveson is set to face Hugo Lezama, a significantly more experienced opponent who holds an 11–3 professional record. But coming back to Jones and Steveson’s partnership, not everyone thinks it’s a good idea. Take former lightheavyweight champion Daniel Cormier, for example. Cormier, who was Jones’ biggest rival, feels Jone can have a negative influence over the Olympic gold medalist.

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Even though ‘DC’ admitted that Steveson has what it takes to become a world champion, he added, “I believe there are some factors that may slow down [that trajectory] — his coach is Jon Jones. As long as he lets the other coaches coach him, yes. But if Jon is actually coaching him, I don’t know.” Regardless, Championship Rounds shared Steveson’s training clips on X with their followers.

“Jon Jones wrestling with Gable Steveson,” they wrote. The post sparked a wave of fan reactions, praising—and glazing—the duo.

Gable Steveson predicted to beat Jones

Steveson has quickly become the talk of the town, with this user going as far as to pit him against his own mentor. “Gable Steveson would DESTROY Jon Jones now,” the user commented. Jon Jones is 38 and his best days are behind him, but it is still a far-fetched notion. In wrestling, Steveson might have the edge, but in an MMA bout, Jones should be able to hold his own against a relatively inexperienced Gable.

Meanwhile, this user felt Steveson is ready to be thrown into the UFC’s heavyweight mix. “Gable Steveson looks like he’s got what it takes,” the user commented. However, the common consensus is that it would be better for the 25-year-old to collect more experience before thrown against the likes of Tom Aspinall and Ciryl Gane. 

Someone else had a prediction for Steveson. “This dude is gonna be a problem, man,” the user commented. However, even Ronda Rousey once looked invincible. However, when she fell, she fell hard. It was so bad that she ultimately decided to leave MMA entirely and started blaming her fans. 

Another user thinks Steveson must accomplish one thing before he can become a champion. “If he develops basic striking, he’s heavyweight champ in 4 years,” the user commented. If he gets into Dana White’s good side, it shouldn’t even take that long. 

However, not everyone was a fan. “Gane is gonna jab this dude’s face off,” the user commented. Although that’s not happening anytime soon—unless the UFC signs him right away.

Clearly, there’s a lot of hype behind Gable Steveson as he continues to rise through the MMA ranks. However, do you think Steveson can live up to his mentor’s success?