When it comes to the possibility of Olympic gold medalist Gable Steveson joining the Ultimate Fighting Championship, former two-division champion Henry Cejudo doesn’t think the promotion will show him the money.
As a fellow Olympic gold medalist, Henry Cejudo understands the level of skill it takes to reach the top of the amateur wrestling mountain. He also is well aware of the financial practices of the UFC, and their less than positive reputation with fighter pay. It’s why he doesn’t believe Steveson — a Tokyo Olympics 125-kilogram gold medal winner, and NCAA Division-I wrestling champion — will land in the Octagon for his post-wrestling career.
Cejudo doesn’t think the UFC will pony up to sign Gable Steveson
The UFC can’t afford him. I’m sorry, they can afford him but they’re not gonna pay him, unfortunately, man,” Cejudo told “>TMZ [h /t BJPenn] in a new interview. “I do believe in the next couple of years he could beat a guy like Jon Jones or even Francis Ngannou. He’s the biggest threat because of his wrestling base which is extremely scary.
The talented heavyweight has also recently been wooed by fellow MMA promotion Bellator, and World Wrestling Entertainment. Steveson, 21, was a special guest at the organization’s Summerslam event in Nevada where he was honored during the show for his gold medal victory earlier this month.
Cejudo claims Steveson could be Jones and Ngannou, if given time
Cejudo understands as well as any athlete in UFC history what it takes to make the transition from the highest level of amateur wrestling to the elite peaks of MMA. He also knows the caliber of athlete it takes to win Olympic medals, and that’s why he views Steveson as a serious threat to the top of the UFC heavyweight division. Just as long as he is given the right amount of time to learn the other key aspects it takes to be successful in the sport.
[He could beat Jones and Ngannou] because he’s a real heavyweight. If you were to put him in there right now, Jon Jones would hurt him, Francis Ngannou would hurt him. I’ve been there before,” said Cejudo. “When I first fought Demetrious Johnson, I had already had standup and I got knocked out at 2 minutes and 36 seconds. So you do have to respect the game. What Gable Stevenson needs right now, is he needs time. Whatever he wants to dedicate himself to, he’s going to need two years [of training].
Do you hope to see the gold medalist in the Octagon within the next two years?
