Updated
Updated · Yahoo Sports · Sep 20
Abe Kawa Backs Gable Steveson After 12-Second UFC 331 Knockout Loss
Updated
Updated · Yahoo Sports · Sep 20

Abe Kawa Backs Gable Steveson After 12-Second UFC 331 Knockout Loss

3 articles · Updated · Yahoo Sports · Sep 20

Summary

  • Abe Kawa said Gable Steveson "will be back real soon" after Sean Sharaf knocked him out in 12 seconds at UFC 331.
  • Sean Sharaf entered as a +1000 underdog and stopped Steveson, a -2500 favorite, with a left hook in one of the biggest heavyweight upsets in recent MMA memory.
  • Kawa defended his client on Instagram, saying it was acceptable that Steveson got caught, was booed and was being criticized, while comparing the setback to losses suffered by champions including Georges St-Pierre and Daniel Cormier.
  • The defeat was Steveson's first in MMA and exposed his inexperience, likely pushing any comeback into 2027 with a less dangerous opponent as he tries to rebuild as a heavyweight prospect.

Insights

After suffering a humiliating 12-second knockout, can Olympic gold medalist Gable Steveson ever fulfill his massive UFC hype?
Will Sean Sharaf's historic knockout launch him into stardom, or was it just a lucky punch against an inexperienced grappler?
What really caused a highly touted Olympic wrestler to crumble in just 12 seconds against a previously winless UFC underdog?