It’s humbling having some of the world’s best athletes supporting me throughout this camp. “Be comfortable being uncomfortable”. pic.twitter.com/q0vqcfiNIF
— BONY (@JonnyBones) October 8, 2024
Jon Jones’ longtime coach Brandon Gibson believes wrestling superstar Gable Steveson could be a future mixed martial arts champion.
Jones (27-1) will defend his heavyweight title against Stipe Miocic (20-4) in the main event at UFC 309 on Nov. 16 at Madison Square Garden in New York. Many, including Gibson believe that this could be the last walk to the Octagon for “Bones,” who has hinted at retirement on multiple occasions leading up to the bout.
In preparation for UFC 309, Jones has assembled a cadre of talented training partners from various discipines of combat sports. Included in that group are multiple-time jiu-jitsu world champion Gordon Ryan and wrestling Olympic gold medalist Gable Steveson. Gibson sees championship potential in Steveson, who has contemplated transitioning to MMA in the past. According to Gibson, Jones is also a good enough coach himself to perhaps guide Steveson to UFC championship glory someday.
UFC 309: Jones vs Miocic. Saturday at 10 ET on ESPN+. Order Now!
I feel every bit of 37 hanging out with these two. It’s humbling, but I’m grateful. pic.twitter.com/2B76C4vokz
— BONY (@JonnyBones) October 9, 2024
“The sky is the limit for Gable, he’s a super athlete,” Gibson recently told MMAFighting.com. “He also walked on to the Buffalo Bills without ever playing football. Just in this past week, we’ve seen him in there boxing with mitts, grappling, doing jiu-jitsu, ground-and-pound drills. He’s incredible, and I have no doubt that he could be a heavyweight champ. There’s a sense of pride I see in Jon Jones having some of these young greats come into the room, where Jon also wants to coach them and lift them up. And Jon’s a heck of a teacher himself, so who knows? Maybe Jon Jone will be coaching Gable Steveson to UFC heavyweight glory one day.”
Steveson is former two-time NCAA champ who won gold at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics in the freestyle heavyweight category. He then chose to pursue a short-lived career in the WWE before transitioning to football. Steveson signed with the Buffalo Bills without ever having played football and was released just before the 2024 season. However, he hasn’t given up on his NFL dreams and reportedly worked out for the Baltimore Ravens in September.
