University of Minnesota Athletics
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Steveson Set for UFC Debut
7/10/2026 11:00:00 AM | Wrestling
MINNEAPOLIS – Gopher legend Gable Steveson is set to make his debut in the Ultimate Fighting Championship Saturday night at UFC 329 in Las Vegas.
Steveson will face Elisha Ellison in a heavyweight bout on the prelim card, which is set to start at 6 p.m. CT on Paramount Plus. The matchup is currently listed as the penultimate match of the prelims.
While Saturday night will be Steveson's first fight in the UFC, it will not be his first mixed martial arts bout. He's gone 3-0 with wins at LFA 217, APFC 21 and MFL 3. He's also got a victory at DBX-4. All of his wins have come by knockout or technical knockout. Ellison, meanwhile, is 5-2 in his MMA career, including 0-1 in the UFC.
An Olympic gold medalist, two-time NCAA champion and two-time Hodge Trophy winner, Steveson is Minnesota's only five-time All-American and the only wrestler in program history to produce four top-3 finishes at the NCAAs.
He was also a four-time Big Ten champion, one of two in team history to win four conference championships and the only wrestler in league history to win four titles at heavyweight.
A two-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree, Steveson finished his career with the best winning percentage in Gopher Wrestling history with an 103-3 career record (.972), including a perfect 59-0 in dual competition and 44-0 mark against Big Ten opponents. He embarked on a 70-match win streak, the second longest in program history, on his way to finishing 16th in Gopher history with 59 career dual wins and tied for 43rd in career wins.
Steveson will face Elisha Ellison in a heavyweight bout on the prelim card, which is set to start at 6 p.m. CT on Paramount Plus. The matchup is currently listed as the penultimate match of the prelims.
While Saturday night will be Steveson's first fight in the UFC, it will not be his first mixed martial arts bout. He's gone 3-0 with wins at LFA 217, APFC 21 and MFL 3. He's also got a victory at DBX-4. All of his wins have come by knockout or technical knockout. Ellison, meanwhile, is 5-2 in his MMA career, including 0-1 in the UFC.
An Olympic gold medalist, two-time NCAA champion and two-time Hodge Trophy winner, Steveson is Minnesota's only five-time All-American and the only wrestler in program history to produce four top-3 finishes at the NCAAs.
He was also a four-time Big Ten champion, one of two in team history to win four conference championships and the only wrestler in league history to win four titles at heavyweight.
A two-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree, Steveson finished his career with the best winning percentage in Gopher Wrestling history with an 103-3 career record (.972), including a perfect 59-0 in dual competition and 44-0 mark against Big Ten opponents. He embarked on a 70-match win streak, the second longest in program history, on his way to finishing 16th in Gopher history with 59 career dual wins and tied for 43rd in career wins.
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