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After Ditching Minnesota Gophers Comeback for WWE, Olympic Champion Gable Steveson Makes Surprise Appearance in the Octagon

Published 01/26/2024, 11:01 PM EST

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Being a wrestling fan in the USA can offer a ton of unexpected scenarios that can sweep fans off their feet. The country’s collegiate wrestling scene also offers the perfect stepping stone for athletes to mark the beginning of their professional careers. For former Minnesota Gophers star and Olympic gold medalist champion Gable Steveson, the transition to the big stage came when he opted to jump ships to the WWE. But even seems to have been a botched move.

There might be more waiting to bulldoze his fans off their feet as Steveson’s latest plans come to the forefront. According to a post doing the rounds on social media, the two-time NCAA champ seems to await yet another change of the stage as images of his training surface.

Is the Olympic star once again scouting future possibilities?

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In a recent post on X by Wrestlers Grind, the former Minnesota student can be seen training at the famous Kill Cliff Fight Club in Florida. “Gable Steveson training at Kill Cliff FC“, reads the caption of the post, and fans can only speculate about what this entails for one of the nation’s top wrestling talents.

via Getty

Steveson has been making waves in NXT for quite some time, despite being slammed by fans as a Kurt Angle ripoff. Steveson made his WWE debut in July during the “NXT” Great American Bash premium live event. He locked horns against Baron Corbin in the fight.

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However, it ended in a double countout draw after the two fought on the outside to a referee’s 10-count. And now, it looks like even Steveson is again itching to return to his natural pastures where the theatrics take the backseat while the athletes’ skills take center stage.

Steveson became an overnight national sensation after his gold medal-hauling performance at the 202o Tokyo Olympics in the 125kg weight class. However, only a few days ago, Minnesota’s wrestling coach, Brandon Eggum, pointed out, “Unfortunately he will not be able to compete for us this season…he’s always wanted to compete for the University of Minnesota. Ultimately, the WWE would prefer that he’s solely focused on his professional wrestling career at this time.” Yet, it looks like seeing some of his colleagues fixated on making the step over to the MMA. Steveson isn’t one to watch from the sidelines.

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More national stars hop on the bandwagon

Steveson’s training time for the MMA came to the forefront yesterday when he was seen alongside AJ Ferrari at the Kill Cliff FC. In the photo shared by Ferrari on Instagram, the two can be seen accompanied by more stars in the training facility getting beefed up for a bombastic future.

Read more: As AJ Ferrari Looks Towards MMA, How Long Has He Been Training to Enter the Octagon?

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With Ferrari getting frustrated over Iowa’s silence about him being part of their roster, the 2021 NCAA champ has been continuously giving hints at a potential MMA career recently as well. From the looks of it, he’s finally found a sturdy sparring partner in Gable Steveson.

Watch this story: I Can Wrestle With Anybody Anytime: The Unranked Purdue Wrestler Proved His Boast

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Written by:

Diptarko Paul

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One take at a time

Growing up, I didn’t really have an interest in Olympic sports, but it was always something intriguing. As I found the means and the opportunity to explore its world, I found sports like volleyball, and track & field to be something that had tons to offer instead of just scoring through kills and sprinting toward the finish line. Whether it is Nebraska Huskers dominating the court or Noah Lyles maintaining his winning spree on the tracks, these two sports never fail to serve adrenaline rush to their spectators.
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Edited by:

BHUJAYA RAY CHOWDHURY