The UFC officially announced during the UFC 327 broadcast this past weekend that it has signed top heavyweight prospect Gable Steveson to a contract. Steveson is expected to debut during International Fight Week at UFC 329 on July 11 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
The UFC heavyweight division desperately needs an influx of young talent, so Steveson’s signing has drawn widespread excitement among MMA fans, many of whom believe that Steveson has championship potential in the sport. After all, Steveson is an A+ athlete who won an Olympic Gold Medal in freestyle wrestling in 2020. In addition, Steveson wrestled for the WWE and was briefly a member of the Buffalo Bills in 2024. After he didn’t make it to the NFL, Steveson decided to go all-in on MMA, and since debuting in the sport in September 2025, he is 3-0 with three first-round knockout wins.
Given that Steveson is just 25 and has the wrestling skills necessary to dominate the sport, this signing by the UFC has drawn tons of excitement as the promotion now has a blue-chip prospect who could one day become champion. That being said, he is still very new to the sport, and the UFC will likely take their time developing him instead of rushing him up the heavyweight ladder, even though he could probably beat several top-15-ranked fighters right now.
5 Potential Opponents for Gable Steveson at UFC 329
Taking a look at the UFC roster, we have identified five potential opponents who he could fight at UFC 329.
- Thomas Petersen: Petersen is a wrestler who has a 3-3 record in the Octagon. While Petersen has more experience than Steveson, his skillset is one that Steveson could exploit. Petersen is unranked, so he makes sense as a potential opponent if the UFC wants to give Steveson a solid test, yet someone who is also prone to a knockout loss.
- Denzel Freeman: Freeman is 1-1 in the UFC and is coming off a first-round knockout loss to Josh Hokit, who is one of the UFC’s top young heavyweight stars right now. Freeman presents a challenge but is very beatable, and would be a good introduction for Steveson to the UFC roster.
- Marcin Tybura: Tybura is the odds-on favorite to fight Steveson, according to BetOnline. However, it would be risky for the UFC to give Steveson such a big step up in competition in his first UFC bout, given that Tybura has been a gatekeeper to the top 10 for many years, even though Steveson has all of the tools necessary to beat him.
- Tyrell Fortune: Fortune recently made his UFC debut with a decision win over the aforementioned Tybura. He is now ranked in the top-10, but Steveson matches up well against him, so if the UFC wants to fast-track Steveson, this bout could happen.
- Tai Tuivasa: Tai Tuivasa has big power in his hands, but he has zero ground game. If the UFC wants Tuivasa to pass the torch to Steveson, perhaps they could book this fight, as Tuivasa is a longtime fan favorite.
Steveson is Part of a New Crop of Young Heavyweights
The UFC has been busy signing new heavyweight fighters to its roster in recent years. Josh Hokit, who just beat Curtis Blaydes in a “Fight of the Year” candidate at UFC 327, is the best of the bunch, but there are other young and talented heavyweights, such as Steven Asplund, Mario Pinto, and Tallison Teixeira, looking to take the division to its next phase. After all, many of the division’s top fighters are nearing 40, so younger fighters like Steveson must be signed to the pipeline so the division can move on to its next stage.
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post 5 Potential Opponents for the UFC Debut of Gable Steveson appeared first on Heavy Sports.