Gable Steveson had a lot to say in his first statement after suffering a devastating knockout loss at UFC 331 this past weekend, but instead of focusing on the loss, it seems he mostly wanted to address sexual assault allegations from his past while he was competing at the University of Minnesota.
On Tuesday, Steveson released a prepared statement discussing his 12-second knockout loss at UFC 331, focused primarily on responding to opponent Sean Sharaf repeatedly calling him a “rapist” in the days leading up to their fight.
In 2019, Steveson was arrested on sexual misconduct charges. He has always maintained his innocence in the case, and the charges were eventually dropped due to “inadequate evidence.” Steveson was released without facing any criminal penalty. Now seven years later, those allegations came to light again after Sharaf repeatedly called Steveson “a rapist” and “loophole” in the leadup to their fight, and the 2020 Olympic gold medalist decided to address the situation as well as his first-ever loss in the UFC.
Read the full statement below:
“This statement is for my family, my friends, my fans and the people who truly know me and know the kind of man I am. I know there are people who will never support me, no matter what I say or do. That’s their choice. But I’m speaking to the people who know me not just as an athlete but as a husband and a father to a young daughter. Prior to and during fight week, an incident from my college years was brought up by my opponent. I believe it was raised to get in my head but it also reopened something that had been addressed years ago. I want to be clear — I did not do anything alleged. I was never charged with a crime and he matter was ultimately dropped by the district attorney. The allegations were not ignored nor brushed aside. They were thoroughly and heavily reviewed as I fully cooperated with law enforcement, including a seprate Title IX review.
“There were no criminal charges, no conviction, and no finding of responsibility against me. The matter was closed and there is no pending legal issue involving me. My own attorney did their own investigation and stated on the record that even if the law was changed, I would have the same outcome, which now speaks for itself.
I understand how serious allegations like this are and I understand that people may hve questions qhen they hear only part of a story. Moving forward, I am going to keep focusing on my wife, my daughter, my family and he work in front of me. To the people who support me, thank you. I know who I am. My family knows who I am. The people who have walked with me through live know who I am. That’s what maters to me and that’s where I’m going to keep my focus.
“As for my opponent, congratulations, you caught me. A mistake on my end was made. It was your night. Just like my wrestling days after my loss, I came bacbk with an undeniable will to win and focus that led me to the top of my sport. The result of Saturday night, I believe, will catapult me to do the same. I will be great and this won’t deny me.”
Steveson has been called the greatest prospect to enter the sport of MMA thanks to his long list of accolades in wrestling, which includes his Olympic gold medal-winning performance at the 2020 games.
Following his knockout loss this past Saturday, Steveson left the octagon in a hurry without offering Sharaf congratulations on his win, although former UFC two-division champion Jon Jones took responsibility for that decision because he wanted his protégé to get immediate medical attention.
