Gable Steveson has publicly denied the 2019 sexual assault allegation that Sean Sharaf dragged back into the spotlight during UFC 331 fight week, and he’s taking ownership of the 12-second knockout that followed.
The Olympic gold medalist released a lengthy statement Tuesday through his manager, Abe Kawa, on X. They’re his first public comments since Sharaf knocked him out in the opening seconds of their heavyweight bout Saturday at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.
“I want to be clear: I did not do anything alleged,” Steveson wrote. “I was never charged with a crime, and the matter was ultimately dropped by the district attorney.”
He framed the statement as a message to the people who know him “not just as an athlete, but as a husband and a father to a young daughter.”
Steveson Addresses The 2019 Case
Steveson and University of Minnesota teammate Dylan Martinez were arrested in June 2019 on suspicion of criminal sexual conduct. In December 2019, the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office declined to file charges, saying there was inadequate evidence to fairly prosecute the case.
Then-county attorney Mike Freeman also said Minnesota’s law at the time on intoxication and consent restricted what his office could bring. The state closed that “voluntary intoxication” provision in 2021, and Steveson’s statement takes it on directly: he said his own attorney investigated and “stated on the record that even if the law was changed, I would have the same outcome.”
Steveson said he fully cooperated with law enforcement and a separate Title IX review, adding that “there were no criminal charges, no conviction, and no finding of responsibility against me.”
“I believe it was raised to get in my head, but it also reopened something that had been addressed years ago,” he said of Sharaf.
How Sharaf Made It Personal
Sharaf went after Steveson over the case on social media before fight week, then doubled down at the Sept. 17 pre-fight press conference, calling him a “rapist” to his face and nicknaming him “Loophole,” a reference to the since-changed Minnesota statute. Steveson called Sharaf a coward and asked the moderator to move on.
Two days later, Sharaf landed the first clean left hook of the fight and ended it 12 seconds in. Steveson had been as big as a -2500 favorite, with Sharaf as high as +1200 at some sportsbooks, making it one of the biggest betting upsets in UFC history.
Steveson left the Octagon before the result was read, drawing criticism from Daniel Cormier and Joe Rogan. Dana White shrugged it off at the post-fight press conference, saying Steveson “had huge expectations on himself” and comparing it to Forrest Griffin running out of the cage after a win.
Steveson closed his statement with a message for the man who beat him.
“As for my opponent, congratulations. You caught me. A mistake on my end was made. It was your night,” he wrote. “Just like my wrestling days after my loss, I came back with an undeniable will to win and focus that led me to the top of my sport. The result of Saturday night, I believe, will catapult me to do the same. I will be great, and this won’t deny me.”
The loss drops Steveson to 4-1 as a pro and 1-1 in the UFC after he knocked out Elisha Ellison in his July debut at UFC 329. Sharaf, now 5-2, picked up his first Octagon win after two straight knockout losses and has since said that beating Steveson with Jon Jones watching felt like a final exam.
