UFC commentator Laura Sanko is curious to see if Gable Steveson can make a meaningful impact on the heavyweight division, and hopes we can begin to find out in 2026.
Olympic gold medalist wrestler Steveson (2-0) has already captured the attention of the MMA world after just two professional fights. He’s delivered highlight finishes in both of them, and UFC CEO Dana White told MMA Junkie in December that he’s already on the UFC’s radar.
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Moreover, the 25-year-old has octagon legend Jon Jones as a mentor and coach during his early development.
“Gable Steveson could have a very big year in the UFC, which is wild to say about a guy who is not even signed yet,” Sanko told MMA Junkie. “When you look at the heavyweight division and how desperately they need stars – and heavyweights are stars – new broadcast deal (with Paramount+), the average fan wants to see big guys do big things and big knockouts.
“It feels a little bit, not quite as big, but it feels Brock (Lesnar)-ish in terms of his ability to appeal to a general audience and go out there and deliver in a division that really needs some stars and someone to compete with Tom Aspinall.”
All the signs are there to label Steveson as arguably the biggest prospect in the sport right now. Joe Rogan thinks he can already compete with top five competition, and Sanko is also invested in seeing how his career story plays out.
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Sanko, who is a UFC color commentator and analyst, admittedly is cautious about not rushing Steveson’s development process. However, Sanko argues the heavyweight division creates an opportunity for him to accelerate the process in a way not possible in other weight classes.
“If Gable Steveson was a lightweight or a welterweight, I would have a different opinion of his timeline than I do at heavyweight,” Sanko said. “You still have to go out there and prove it, and that’s not an easy thing to do, but I would like to see it.”
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: UFC analyst compares Gable Steveson to Brock Lesnar
