Gable Steveson Warns Former Wrestling World Champion from S**t-Talking: “One Day It’ll Happen”

Gable Steveson’s return to college wrestling has certainly sparked its fair share of drama, with critics questioning his decision to come back to the mats. But aside from that, Minnesota’s wrestling team has quietly been making waves this season. When you take a closer look at the numbers, it’s clear they’ve been dominating. The Gophers have racked up four dual meet victories, suffering only two losses across 40 bouts. Most notably, they posted back-to-back shutouts against North Dakota State and Campbell—something they hadn’t done since 1997. Add this to their strong finish last season, and Minnesota has now won 10 straight matches.

The team’s rankings also speak for themselves. Every one of their 10 wrestlers is ranked in the top 25, with seven in the top 10, and the team as a whole sitting at #4. At the Cougar Clash at Southern Illinois, Minnesota won an impressive eight titles, even without Isaiah Salazar at 197 pounds and Steveson at 285. They were just a hair away from going a perfect 10-for-10! And, with all the talk going on, it looks like it’s time for Steveson to warn some former wrestlers that after all that trash talk, they got to back it up on the mat!

Steveson calls out Iranian wrestling sensation

Recently, Flowrestling posted a video of Gable Steveson on X, where he got real about a potential showdown with Hossein Zare, the Iranian heavyweight wrestling sensation. For the unversed, Zare has already made a huge name for himself by winning the World Championships in 2021 and 2023 and being the 2019 U23 World Champion at just 18.

In the video, Gable said, “I think Zare is the right guy I would like to face in freestyle just because there’s been a long wind of him speaking about me and me speaking about him, and there’s going to come a time where he’s going to have to step on the mat with me. It’s not going to go the way it needs to go for him, and I’m constantly saying that just because I know who I am and I know what I bring to freestyle. One day it’ll happen, and when it happens, it’ll go the way it needs to go.” Gable’s confidence is clear, and he’s saying that when the time comes, it’s not going to end well for Zare.

This rivalry has been building for years. It all started in 2021, right after Steveson’s Olympic victory, when he immediately called out Zare, who had just claimed the World Championship. At the time, Gable was transitioning to WWE and took to Instagram with a bold challenge: “Tell Iran to send Zare… I’m pulling up.” Zare had just defeated wrestling legends like Taha Akgul and Geno Petriashvili, and he playfully mocked Gable’s signature backflip move, declaring himself the new heavyweight champion and jokingly crowning himself the king of the division.

Gable wasn’t having any of it. He quickly fired back on social media with a defiant message and a string of crisp emojis, making it clear that he, not Zare, was the true king of heavyweight wrestling. Fast forward three years, and the tension has reignited. The wrestling world has been buzzing ever since, imagining what could happen if these two heavyweight titans finally met in the ultimate showdown.

After years of buildup, it now seems that the long-awaited confrontation could take place in 2024, a clash that has been simmering since the Tokyo Olympics. The stage is set for a fight that promises to settle the debate once and for all: Who truly rules the heavyweight division?

Gable Steveson’s unbelievable last-second victory shocked the world at Tokyo 2021!

When Gable Steveson made his Olympic debut in Tokyo in 2021, it became crystal clear that there was no doubt about his ability to compete on the world’s biggest stage. At just 21 years old, Steveson stunned the wrestling world by clinching the coveted gold medal in the men’s freestyle 125kg final. The victory was a true showcase of his skill, as he triumphed over Georgia’s Geno Petriashvili with a dramatic 10-8 win in the final 20 seconds.

Although Steveson had led most of the match, Petriashvili mounted a fierce comeback, taking an 8-5 lead late in the bout. Many thought Steveson’s chances had slipped away, but in a moment of pure grit, he turned the tide and sealed the win, proving that he could perform under the highest level of pressure. The men’s 125kg wrestling competition was filled with drama, and Steveson’s gold was just part of the excitement.

Steveson’s win wasn’t just about the gold—he also earned a nickname that honors one of the greatest American wrestlers of all time, Dan Gable, who won the Olympic gold in 1972. With Steveson’s rise to the top and the simmering rivalry with Zare, the wrestling world eagerly anticipates a future showdown between these two titans. The stage is set for what could be the next great chapter in heavyweight wrestling. Who do you think will come out on top in a potential match? Tell us in the comment section below!