Gable Steveson reveals pact should Jon Jones' UFC comeback materialize
· Yahoo Sports
Jon Jones continues to tease a UFC comeback. So what will his student Gable Steveson do?
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Steveson (4-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC) isn't totally sure. But he knows what he won't do – and that's to fight him.
"I think it'll be amazing if Jon came back and took the title and made sure he can still be a dominant champion that we all believe he can (be) and he will," Steveson recently told MMA Junkie Radio. "It's really going to be up to him. If me and him ever came into the spot where me and him would have to compete against each other, that would never happen because we already have the say-so not to do. That's my friend, my coach, my partner. That wouldn't be a possibility between us."
While his pre-MMA athletic credentials are strong as an Olympic gold medalist in wrestling, Steveson is still relatively early on in his fighting career. It remains to be seen how quickly the promotion will push him to the top, but thus far it's been step-by-step. He returns Saturday at UFC 331 when he battles Sean Sharaf (4-2 MMA, 0-2 UFC) on the main card at Crypto.com Arena (Paramount+) and hopes to march one stage closer to his ultimate goal of UFC immortality.
"I would like to be the greatest heavyweight of all time," Steveson said. "I think with skillset, my mindset, with my attributes I come with, my work ethic. I think I can be a fantastic heavyweight champion in this division. I think I could be the greatest heavyweight of all time. Obviously, time will tell that story. I hope time is on my side with that."
While that may sound to some like the real way he'll aim to "beat Jon Jones", Steveson indicated that's not the case either. In fact, Steveson said he and Jones are aligned on this. They both want him to go on to be the best ever. It's "we" not "me."
"He wants me to be the greatest heavyweight of all time also," Steveson said. "We're on the same page. We're working for success. We're working for greatness. That's what we would like to achieve."
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Gable Steveson reveals pact should Jon Jones' UFC comeback materialize