Steveson attended the game as astronomical -2000 betting favourite after his dominant UFC debut win Elisha Ellison (watch the highlights). Instead, the Olympic gold medalist ate Sharaf’s first clean left hand and fell face-first to the canvas, suffering his first professional mixed martial arts (MMA) loss.
Now Anik wonders how a heavily touted prospect reacts to a level of failure he has rarely experienced in his decorated athletic career.
“Gable now has to deal with an experience that many athletes at his level simply haven’t had to deal with,” said Anik. Submission radio. “It’s one thing if he maybe got dropped late in that fight, and even in the Reinier de Ridder-Bo Nickal fight, it went to the second round. That guy got punched and knocked out in 12 seconds. So how do you put yourself together?
“I think he relies on everything mentally, physically and his God-given talent that has gotten him to this position,” Anik continued. “I still believe that if Gable Steveson gets to 10 UFC fights, he will have a lot of success.”
The biggest question, though, is whether Steveson will stay committed long enough to get to that point.
After watching Steveson destroy Ellison in his Octagon debut, Anik pinned the former NCAA Division I National Champion just 10 fights into his UFC career. Even before the Sharaf disaster, Anik wasn’t convinced that Steveson would reach that number.
“But after his UFC debut, which went well, I went on our podcast and said, ‘Over 10 UFC fights for Gable,'” Anik said. “I’m not sure if he’ll make it to 10 fights. It’s a significant setback. So I’m as curious as anyone to see how he reacts to it, but it’s a big deal and it’s not the easiest thing to come back from.”
The 26-year-old Steveson owns a 4-1 professional record and still possesses the elite wrestling pedigree and uncanny athletic ability that made him one of the UFC’s most celebrated heavyweight prospects. Still, these physical gifts cannot erase the image of Sharaf taking his first strike.
Getting back inside the octagon is the first test. Getting to fight #10 in the UFC could be much bigger.
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