Steveson suffered his first professional loss Old Sharafwho brought with him one of the biggest upsets
Ultimate Fighting Championship history. In his post-fight statement, the Olympian addressed both the loss and sexual assault allegations stemming from his college years that resurfaced during fight week.
Gable Steveson addresses Sean Sharaf’s upset and fight week accusations
Steveson and a teammate were arrested in 2019 in connection with a sexual assault, but no criminal charges were filed due to a lack of evidence. Sharaf made repeated references to the allegations during fight week, turning fans against him, and Steveson addressed the comments in a statement.
“This statement is for my family, friends, fans and people who really know me and know the kind of man I am,” Steveson wrote. “I know there are people who will never support me, no matter what I say or do. That’s their choice. But I’m talking to people who know me not only as an athlete, but also as a husband and father of a young daughter.”
Sharaf raised the allegations during the pre-fight presser and even nicknamed Steveson “the gap”, which has been carried over by fans. The latter says he did not commit the crime for which fans are attacking him.
“Before and during fight week, my opponent brought up an incident from my college years,” Steveson continued. “I believe it was brought up to get in my head, but it also re-opened something that had already been dealt with years ago. I want to be clear – I did not do anything that was alleged. I was never charged with a crime and the district attorney eventually dropped him. The charges were not ignored or dismissed. They were thoroughly and thoroughly reviewed because I fully cooperated with the failure to comply with the law, including the lack of prosecution. conviction and no finding of responsibility against me. Thing was terminated and my attorney did his research and stated that even if the law was changed I would have the same result which now speaks for itself.
Steveson also spoke directly to Sharaf’s win, congratulating him on the huge upset.
🚨 Gable Steveson just released a statement after the knockout loss:
“Before and during fight week, my opponent brought up an incident from my college days. I believe it was brought up in my head, but it reopened something that had been talked about years ago. … pic.twitter.com/0eD6aFWaUX
— Championship Stages (@ChampRDS)
September 22, 2026