Jon Anik is already questioning whether Gable Steveson can turn his UFC potential into a lengthy run after the Olympic gold medalist suffered a brutal 12-second knockout at UFC 331.
Steveson entered the fight against Sean Sharaf as a massive betting favorite, but was flatlined almost immediately in what became one of the most shocking upsets in UFC history.
Jon Anik Questions Gable Steveson’s UFC Future
Speaking on Submission Radio, Anik admitted that Steveson’s devastating defeat has left him unsure whether the heavyweight prospect will even reach 10 UFC fights.
Gable is now having to deal with an experience that a lot of athletes on his level just haven’t had to deal with,” Anik said. “This dude got flatlined and knocked out in 12 seconds. So how do you regroup?
Anik still believes Steveson has the physical and athletic tools to succeed, but he emphasized how difficult it will be to recover from such a devastating setback.
I still believe if Gable Steveson gets to 10 UFC fights, he’s going to realize a ton of success,” Anik said. “But after his UFC debut, which went well, I said over-under 10 UFC fights for Gable. I’m not sure he actually gets to 10 fights.
The 26-year-old Olympic wrestling gold medalist entered the UFC with enormous expectations, making his immediate knockout loss to Sharaf an especially difficult setback.
Steveson has since vowed to bounce back from the defeat, but his next appearance will now carry considerably more intrigue as he attempts to prove Anik’s doubts wrong.
