Gable Steveson has his first UFC win under his belt.
The Olympic wrestling champion flattened Elisha Ellison in less than three minutes Saturday night at UFC 329, earning a first-round knockout in his much-anticipated UFC debut. Steveson (4-0), a blue-chip heavyweight prospect who entered the weekend as the biggest betting favorite on the entire card, needed just 2:31 to stop Ellison with a blitz of knees and punches.
“Time will tell [where I stand],” he said afterward. “I’m a great athlete, I’m a great person. I can go out there and do special things, as you can see. Time will tell that story.”
Though he passed his first UFC test, it wasn’t all smooth sailing for Steveson.
Despite the long odds, Ellison (5-3) came to scrap, stopping Steveson’s lone takedown attempt with a choke attempt and tagging the Olympian with several flush shots in the brief contest. Ellison landed 14 strikes in total, though Steveson ate them all and continued marching forward with a surprisingly diverse array of offense, mixing various kicks, clinch knees to the head and body, and looping hooks in a high-paced affair.
The Olympic wrestling champion flattened Elisha Ellison in less than three minutes Saturday night at UFC 329, earning a first-round knockout in his much-anticipated UFC debut. Steveson (4-0), a blue-chip heavyweight prospect who entered the weekend as the biggest betting favorite on the entire card, needed just 2:31 to stop Ellison with a blitz of knees and punches.
“Time will tell [where I stand],” he said afterward. “I’m a great athlete, I’m a great person. I can go out there and do special things, as you can see. Time will tell that story.”
Though he passed his first UFC test, it wasn’t all smooth sailing for Steveson.
Despite the long odds, Ellison (5-3) came to scrap, stopping Steveson’s lone takedown attempt with a choke attempt and tagging the Olympian with several flush shots in the brief contest. Ellison landed 14 strikes in total, though Steveson ate them all and continued marching forward with a surprisingly diverse array of offense, mixing various kicks, clinch knees to the head and body, and looping hooks in a high-paced affair.
20 days ago
