Gable Steveson is heading back to the mat. The Olympic gold medalist and undefeated MMA prospect has signed a multi-match deal with Real American Freestyle (RAF), with his debut set for RAF09 on May 30 in Dallas, Texas. The event streams exclusively on Fox Nation.The announcement came via Ariel Helwani on Wednesday.
Loading tweet...
The signing puts one of the most prominent names in amateur wrestling history into RAF, which was co-founded by Eric Bischoff and features active UFC fighters like Arman Tsarukyan and Colby Covington on its roster.
The promotion runs real freestyle wrestling — not pro wrestling — and has been building toward a rematch between Steveson and current RAF heavyweight champion Wyatt Hendrickson, who handed Steveson the only loss of his wrestling career with a dramatic last-second takedown in the 2025 NCAA Division I championship match.
Loading tweet...
Steveson, 25, is currently 4-0 as a professional MMA fighter with four stoppages. He trains under Jon Jones and has been vocal about wanting to reach the UFC. Dana White confirmed the promotion is "very much" interested in signing him once he builds enough experience. The RAF deal is not expected to interfere with his MMA trajectory — several active UFC fighters compete in the promotion simultaneously.
His combat sports résumé coming in is hard to match: 2020 Olympic gold medalist, two-time NCAA Division I champion, two-time Dan Hodge Trophy winner, and five-time All-American. He had brief stints with WWE (released May 2024) and the NFL's Buffalo Bills (released August 2024) before committing full-time to MMA last fall.
RAF09 takes place May 30 in Dallas on Fox Nation.
