With the knockout of Elisha Ellison at 2 minutes and 31 seconds of the first round, Gable Steveson delivered a statement in his UFC debut that will now echo across the heavyweight division. Following the victory, Jon Jones’ protégé and the 2020 Tokyo Olympics gold medalist now wants to build on the momentum that will likely see him matched up against marquee opponents. The first step in that direction has already emerged.

During the post-fight presser, Gable Steveson took the opportunity to address the remarks made by middleweight contender and fellow NCAA standout Bo Nikal, who put forth the strategy online about how to beat Steveson. According to Nikal, ‘gassing Steveson out’ would do the trick. To this, the 4-0 fighter had a pointed response.

“I like Bo Nickal. I didn’t mean any harm,” Steveson told reporters. “Bo Nickal telling me that he’s going to gas me out after he got gassed out a couple of fights ago is a crazy thing. So, Bo Nickal, I didn’t mean no harm. I got to take a shot back at you if you take a shot at me.

“But we’re friends, you know. Wrestlers always have to stay together. You know, Bo Nickal is one of the best collegiate wrestlers of all time, and I hope he keeps winning, and I hope he keeps doing his thing, and I’ll always be a fan of his just because of wrestling.”

In his dig at Steveson while questioning his conditioning, Nickal had also suggested that undefeated heavyweight contender Josh Hokit could beat him up easily. However, the 26-year-old was open to testing out the theory.

“I like Josh as a fighter, Josh as a character,” he stated. “Josh wants to make sure people follow him on Instagram and follow him on Twitter. I go out there and dominate. I go out there and win. So if the time comes with Josh, if he doesn’t move down before that, so be it. We’ll make it happen. But right now, like I said, today I’ll enjoy this victory. On Monday, I’ll be back in the gym. I’ll wait for my next call, and hopefully it’s MSG. And if it isn’t, we’ll be back before that.”

Josh Hokit, who recently came off a win over veteran Derrick Lewis at the White House card to hold his fifth spot in the heavyweight rankings, had earlier claimed that he could have become the best wrestler in the United States had he taken up the sport full-time instead of venturing into the NFL. His success in NCAA wrestling while handling commitments in football only added weight to those claims.

More significantly, with him now joining the MMA ranks, his wrestling background alone has ceased to be enough. With his focus now entirely on fighting, Hokit feeks he could beat any heavyweight contender, including interim champion Ciryl Gane, and become a champion.

Bo Nickal or Josh Hokit: who makes more sense for Gable Steveson’s next move?

Viewed in that context, outside of a meeting in the Real American Freestyle, where both Nickal and Steveson compete, a mixed martial arts fight between the two could be a stretch for the simple reason that Nickal competes at 185 lbs. A matchup with a heavyweight likely would not receive approval from either the promotion or the athletic commission.

The matchup against Hokit could be more realistic. With ten career wins, the All-American wrestler remains unbeaten, with four of those victories coming under the UFC banner. Already the fifth-ranked contender, with the division currently appearing in flux, Hokit aims for a title fight by next year.

Given those stakes, a win over Hokit may likely benefit Gable Steveson more than it would Hokit, who has already established his dominance in the UFC.

During the UFC 329 media day, Steveson already made his intentions clear by stating that he’s “eyeballing” everyone in the division, which potentially includes Gane, Aspinall, and Hokit as well.

At the same time, skeptics may like to highlight that Steveson could be biting off more than he can chew by calling someone like Josh Hokit. Even putting aside his wrestling skills and Jon Jones’ mentoring, Steveson is still new to the sport, where pure wrestling skills, in the absence of competitive striking, especially against a fighter like Hokit, whose six career wins have come by knockouts, are something Steveson still needs to adjust to.

His confidence should be viewed with some caution. Merely relying on his wrestling background may potentially derail Steveson’s plans even before they take off.