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Gable Steveson’s manager has backed the Olympic gold medalist to recover from his stunning knockout defeat to Sean Sharaf at UFC 331, insisting the loss will prove only a setback in his MMA career.
Steveson suffered his first MMA defeat in just 12 seconds on Saturday in Los Angeles, with Sharaf landing a counter left hand to secure one of the biggest upsets in UFC history. Steveson had entered the contest as a -2400 favorite but was knocked unconscious following an early exchange.
“It’s OK that Gable got caught,” said Steveson’s manager Abe Kawa, according to a statement posted on Instagram as noted by Yahoo. “It’s OK that he was booed. It’s OK his opponent talked shit. It’s OK that the world is kicking him when down. It’s the life he chose.”
Kawa pointed to several former and current UFC champions who suffered defeats during their careers as evidence that Steveson can rebound. “Islam got clipped. Arman has lost. DJ has lost. GSP lost. DC lost. Jose Aldo lost. All went on to have absolutely legendary careers,” said Kawa. “We stand by our guy. He will be back real soon, and he will be great!”
Steveson has also faced criticism over his reaction to the defeat after leaving the Octagon before the official decision was announced. Former UFC heavyweight and light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier was among those to criticise the 26-year-old’s decision to exit the cage early, with several other past and present fighters also weighing in. Sharaf, meanwhile, collected $100,000 in bonuses for his performance after producing the biggest victory of his career against Steveson, whose move into MMA had attracted considerable attention following his Olympic wrestling success.
