Gable Steveson VS Elisha Ellison

Gable Steveson stopped Elisha Ellison by TKO due to punches at 2:31 of round one in the heavyweight bout at UFC 329 on July 11, 2026. Ellison opened with jabs early, but Steveson established the clinch, landed knees to the body, and followed with body kicks and straight right hands before pouring on ground punches to force the stoppage. Ellison briefly stunned Steveson with a counter mid-round, yet Steveson recovered immediately and reasserted control with the finishing sequence. The win marked a successful UFC debut for Steveson, the Olympic gold medal wrestler who entered as a heavy favorite and delivered on the expectation with a first-round finish.

Olympic gold medalist and two-time NCAA heavyweight wrestling champion Gable Steveson finally arrives in the UFC against Elisha Ellison, having spent 2025 building his MMA foundation with three stoppage wins in regional competition. Steveson brings perhaps the most elite wrestling pedigree ever seen in the heavyweight division, with Jon Jones himself serving as a key training partner, and the question is how quickly his striking and submission defense translate against a professional opponent seeking to be the ultimate spoiler.