UFC signs Gable Steveson, announces debut date

MIAMI – It was somewhat inevitable, but Gable Steveson is a UFC fighter.

During the UFC 327 broadcast Saturday, the promotion announced Steveson (3-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC) will debut July 11 at UFC 329. The event takes place at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas and is the peak of the annual International Fight Week. No opponent was revealed.

Steveson, 25, is widely regarded as one of the most highly touted prospects in all of MMA, particularly given his wrestling credentials as an Olympic gold medalist and two-time NCAA champion.

"I think you get him in the UFC," White told MMA Junkie and other reporters at a news conference after Saturday's event at Kaseya Center. "I think everybody has those UFC jitters when they first get here. You give them a fight. There's no easy fights here. We'll see how he does."

Following his wrestling career, Steveson made a stop in WWE and attempted to make an NFL team. He's since pivoted to combat sports with two knockout wins. He won his MMA debut in September in 98 seconds by ground-and-pound TKO against Braden Peterson in LFA. Steveson knocked out Billy Swanson in 15 seconds under a hybrid rule set for Dirty Boxing in October. He then beat Kevin Hein in 24 seconds. Steveson most recently competed Hugo Lezama (11-3) in 3:50 for Mexican regional promotion MFL.

This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: UFC signs Gable Steveson, announces debut date