Gable Steveson seemed determined to make a statement in his highly anticipated UFC debut on Saturday, and that statement came midway through the opening round.
Steveson (4-0), a U.S. Olympic gold medalist wrestler, finished Elisha Ellison (5-3) via TKO at the 2:31 mark of their heavyweight contest at UFC 329 inside T-Mobile Arena. He went into the bout as one of the biggest betting favorites in UFC history, and it showed once the action began. He hurt Ellison multiple times on the feet and didn’t require a single takedown to record his first UFC victory.
“Time will tell,” Steveson, 26, said of his future ceiling in MMA. “I’m a great athlete, a great person. I go out and do special things, as you can see. Time will tell that story.”