Gable Steveson kicked off his UFC career with a quick knockout victory in Las Vegas on Saturday.
The 26-year-old Olympic gold medallist heavyweight, who has had UFC legend Jon Jones by his side throughout his meteoric rise to MMA’s summit, stopped Elisha Ellison emphatically in the first round.
Steveson was making his debut for Dana White’s promotion on the grandest stage of them all at UFC 329, with Conor McGregor’s return against Max Holloway headlining the International Fight Week card.
The American dropped Ellison with two nasty knees and a barrage of blows midway through the opening five minutes and followed up with a thunderous left hand on the ground to get the job done.
“It’s an honour to be here,” Steveson, who is now 4-0 with all of his finishes coming in the first round, told Joe Rogan after his win.
“It’s fun. It’s a big stage. Like I said, I’m honoured. Time will tell [where I stand in the heavyweight division].”
More UFC 329 results
- Adrian Yanez def. Cody Garbrandt via first-round KO
- Luke Riley def. Kai Kamaka III via first-round KO
Early prelims
- Wang Cong def. Tracey Cortez via unanimous decision
- Damian Pinas def. Cesar Almeida via first-round KO
- Farid Basharat def. John Garza via unanimous decision
- Ryan Gandra def. Zach Reese via first-round KO
- Alessandro Costa def. Cody Durden via second-round submission (rear naked choke)
Elsewhere on the early bouts at UFC 329, both Ryan Gandra and Damian Pinas picked up statement victories on the preliminary card with first-round knockouts.
Meanwhile, Alessandro Costa, Farid Basharat and Wang Cong also secured wins.
Paddy Pimblett’s teammate Luke Riley then extended his undefeated professional MMA record to 14-0 by knocking out Kai Kamaka III in the opening round of their featherweight clash before Adrian Yanez flattened former champion Cody Garbrandt in round one.
This is a developing story and is being updated.
For the latest updates, breaking news alerts, and comprehensive analysis, refresh this page or follow our real-time news coverage by watching and listening to talkSPORT live.
For broader context, explore related coverage on our homepage for the top trending stories. For the latest talkSPORT videos, download the app.
talkSPORT cares about getting it right, not just getting it first and because this is a developing situation, details will change. We will be updating this page constantly with verified info, expert takes, and official statements.
Stay tuned for further developments as this story continues to break.
