Jon Jones is taking the fall for Gable Steveson’s early exit at UFC 331.
Steveson, an Olympic champion and blue-chip heavyweight prospect, became one of the biggest stories of the weekend this past Saturday when he suffered a shocking 12-second knockout loss at the hands of the unheralded Sean Sharaf, who entered UFC 331 as a historic betting underdog and was winless in his previous two outings. Many were hailing Steveson as the most talented heavyweight prospect in recent MMA history and his stunning loss marked the biggest UFC betting upset of all time for Draft Kings.
In the immediate aftermath of the bout, Stevenson left the cage and fled to the Crypto.com Arena’s locker room before the result’s official announcement could be read — a decision which drew a flood of criticism from both fans and Steveson’s fellow fighters alike. UFC Hall of Famer Daniel Cormier went so far as to lambaste the Olympian for being an “ungrateful loser” on UFC 331’s post-fight broadcast.
On Monday, Cormier’s old rival, former two-division UFC champion Jon Jones — who’s doubled as one of Steveson’s primary mentors and coaches throughout the prospect’s recent rise — took the blame for Steveson leaving the cage early. Writing on X, Jones said it was his decision “to take Gable straight to the back after the fight.”
I’ve seen some reports on line and I really wanted to clear the air. It was my decision to take Gable straight to the back after the fight. Honestly it was the first time in this situation for me and my instant reaction was to get my friend to the back to make sure he was ok.…
— Jonny Meat (@JonnyBones) September 21, 2026
I’ve seen some reports on line and I really wanted to clear the air. It was my decision to take Gable straight to the back after the fight. Honestly it was the first time in this situation for me and my instant reaction was to get my friend to the back to make sure he was ok. Gable’s work ethic and will to win is there and I stand by him and believe he will go on to be one of the best heavyweights in the ufc. He will be back I’m sure of it.
The hype behind Steveson appeared to be justified prior to Saturday’s upset. The 26-year-old was one of the most accomplished amateur wrestling talents of his era. Along with being a two-time NCAA Division I national champion and two-time Dan Hodge Trophy winner — the award given annually to collegiate athletics’ top freestyle wrestler — he’s best known for his run through the 2020 Olympics, when he stunned the global field at just 21 years old to become the youngest freestyle wrestler in his division to win gold.
Entering Saturday’s second UFC appearance, Steveson was already 5-0 with five first-round knockout wins across multiple combat sports disciplines over his first year as a professional, culminating in a two-minute thrashing of Elisha Ellison this past July in his UFC debut.
Steveson has yet to made a public statement since his 12-second knockout loss, though UFC CEO Dana White shrugged off the heavyweight’s post-fight actions on Saturday.
“When you’re in that position, obviously, he had huge expectations on himself, and it happens,” White said at UFC 331’s post-fight press conference. “Forrest Griffin f***ing ran out of the Octagon when he won a fight [with Tito Ortiz in 2012]. These things happen.”
