Coming into his fight on Saturday night at Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) 331 at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, Gable Steveson was regarded as one of the most impressive combat sports prospects in recent memory. But in his fifth MMA match and second UFC contest, Steveson’s star was dimmed after stunningly being knocked out by former Marine Sean Sharaf 12 seconds into the first round.
It was the third-fastest ending ever in a UFC bout and leaves Steveson (4-1) and his mentor/trainer, Jon Jones, who is widely considered to be the greatest MMA fighter of all time, going back to the lab for a reset. Steveson, 26, a native of Apple Valley, Minnesota, won gold in the 125-kilogram freestyle division at the 2020 Summer Olympics at just 21, and is a two-time NCAA Division I champion at the University of Minnesota.
Sharaf (5-2) was 0-2 in UFC fights before KOing Steveson. But he made quick work of his highly hyped opponent in just two punches: a right hand and a left hook, the latter of which put Steveson down in what is being called the biggest upset in UFC history.
After the fight, Steveson was heavily criticized for immediately exiting the octagon, the eight-sided ring, after he regained his senses, leaving for his locker room before the customary official result was announced. Jones took responsibility for the act, posting on the social media platform X: “I’ve seen some reports online and I really wanted to clear the air. It was my decision to take Gable straight to the back after the fight. Honestly it was the first time in this situation for me and my instant reaction was to get my friend to the back to make sure he was ok.”
Madison Square Garden will host the star-studded UFC 334 on Nov. 14. It is the promotion’s annual New York City event. In the main event, Ciryl Gane of France will defend his UFC heavyweight title for the first time against the American Josh Hokit. Gane defeated Alex Pereira to retain his interim heavyweight title at the UFC White House card in June.
Tom Aspinall, who defended his title against Gane in October, relinquished his championship after suffering an eye injury in the bout that ended in a no contest. Hokit defeated Derrick Lewis the same night, but made mainstream headlines for a despicable comment he made about former First Lady Michelle Obama during a postfight interview inside the ring.
In the co-main event, a bout originally scheduled for January, Amanda Nunes, one of the most iconic women competitors in the history of combat sports, returns to challenge Kayla Harrison in her first defense of the UFC women’s bantamweight strap. Nunes has not stepped inside the Octagon since June 2023, while Harrison last fought in June of last year.
Former WBO junior lightweight boxing champion Jamel Herring, a native of Rockville Centre on Long Island, will defend his Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC) bantamweight championship for the first time against John Dodson in the main event of a seven-fight card at BKFC 95 Newark on Oct. 17, 2026, at the Prudential Center in Newark. Herring defeated Michael Larrimore to win the title in May.
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