‘Lost all respect for that dude’: Pros rip Gable Steveson for leaving UFC 331 cage early after knockout loss to Sean Sharaf

Gable Steveson

Gable Steveson at UFC 331 | Chris Unger, Zuffa LLC

Sean Sharaf took Gable Steveson out at UFC 331 and might have permanently derailed the blue-chip prospect’s hype.

Steveson, an Olympic gold medalist and two-time NCAA Division-I wrestling champion, is one of the most highly touted heavyweight talents in recent history, but Sharaf made him look foolish on Saturday, landing a quick combination to defeat Steveson via knockout in just 12 seconds. Afterwards, Steveson made a quick exit from the cage, rather than stay for the traditional result announcement.

Social media was quick to pile on, criticizing Steveson for his poor performance and even worse sportsmanship. It was a humiliating week for Steveson, as Sharaf used Steveson’s past arrest for suspicion of sexual assault—Steveson was suspended from the Minnesota Gophers wrestling team, but not criminally charged due to insufficient evidence—to attack Steveson at a press conference on Thursday and then pulled off one of the biggest upsets in the history of MMA.

See what pros had to Sharaf’s incredible win and Steveson’s disastrous night below.