JRE MMA Show #172 with Gable Steveson
Gable Steveson (guest), Joe Rogan (host)
In this episode of The Joe Rogan Experience, featuring Gable Steveson and Joe Rogan, JRE MMA Show #172 with Gable Steveson explores olympic phenom Gable Steveson outlines his path to UFC greatness Joe Rogan sits down with Olympic gold medalist and heavyweight MMA prospect Gable Steveson to trace his journey from wrestling prodigy to NFL experiment, WWE stint, and now a full commitment to mixed martial arts. Steveson explains why true professional outlets for wrestling are limited and how his athleticism and mindset translate to elite MMA potential. A major theme is his close mentorship with Jon Jones—how training with the heavyweight GOAT ignited his desire to fight and shaped his approach to game-planning, discipline, and fame. The conversation also ranges into combat sports history, drug cartels, bull riding, dog stories, and how to stay grounded amid rapid stardom.
Olympic phenom Gable Steveson outlines his path to UFC greatness
Joe Rogan sits down with Olympic gold medalist and heavyweight MMA prospect Gable Steveson to trace his journey from wrestling prodigy to NFL experiment, WWE stint, and now a full commitment to mixed martial arts. Steveson explains why true professional outlets for wrestling are limited and how his athleticism and mindset translate to elite MMA potential. A major theme is his close mentorship with Jon Jones—how training with the heavyweight GOAT ignited his desire to fight and shaped his approach to game-planning, discipline, and fame. The conversation also ranges into combat sports history, drug cartels, bull riding, dog stories, and how to stay grounded amid rapid stardom.
Key Takeaways
Elite wrestling is still the best base for MMA—if you learn to adapt it.
Both Rogan and Steveson emphasize that the ability to dictate where the fight takes place, combined with wrestling’s mental toughness and conditioning, remains the most dominant foundation once you adjust entries, finishes, and cage work for submissions and strikes.
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True greatness demands being “all ears” and relentlessly coachable.
Steveson credits his rapid striking development—despite only truly focusing on it for about seven months—to dropping ego, showing up multiple times a day, and absorbing instruction from experienced coaches and fighters like Jon Jones.
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Short-notice fights are usually bad business for would-be greats.
Using examples like Jon Jones refusing late replacements and Volkanovski’s short-notice loss to Makhachev, they argue that if you want a legacy career, you game-plan and peak properly rather than chasing last-minute opportunities.
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Protect your focus as ruthlessly as you protect your health.
Rogan frames attention as a finite resource—if you spend it on haters, drama, or chaotic relationships, you’re stealing from the excellence that actually creates money, titles, and longevity.
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Mentorship from someone who’s made—and survived—every mistake is priceless.
Steveson describes Jon Jones not only sharpening his technical skills but also advising him on media, business, life choices, and avoiding the traps of fame that nearly derailed Jon’s own career.
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The UFC heavyweight division is shallow—and ripe for a new star.
Rogan repeatedly points out how few truly elite heavyweights exist, arguing Steveson’s speed, wrestling, and fast-improving striking could rapidly make him a title-level problem for almost everyone in the division.
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Staying human and grounded—dogs, family, and normal routines—buffers against fame’s distortions.
Steveson talks about his attachment to his dogs and excitement for his new daughter, while Rogan stresses private time and real relationships as antidotes to losing yourself in celebrity and external validation.
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Notable Quotes
““That Dirty Boxing fight is the worst I’ll ever be.””
— Gable Steveson
““I sent Dana White a text message: everyone’s fucked.””
— Joe Rogan (about Gable’s 14‑second KO and double-leg finish)
““If you can win a gold medal in the Olympics in wrestling, you have to have everything.””
— Joe Rogan
““Once you’re favored by God, you’re also favored by the devil too.””
— Gable Steveson (quoting Mike Tyson and applying it to fame and temptation)
““I just want to be an excellent man. If I’m the best version of Gable, you’re not gonna be able to beat me.””
— Gable Steveson
Questions Answered in This Episode
How quickly and safely should the UFC move Gable Steveson up the heavyweight ranks, given his elite wrestling and still-maturing striking?
Joe Rogan sits down with Olympic gold medalist and heavyweight MMA prospect Gable Steveson to trace his journey from wrestling prodigy to NFL experiment, WWE stint, and now a full commitment to mixed martial arts. ...
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What specific wrestling-to-MMA adaptations (entries, finishes, cage work) should elite wrestlers prioritize if they want to become champions, not just grinders?
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Can Jon Jones’ meticulous, game-plan-heavy approach become the new standard for heavyweights, or is his success too tied to his unique talent?
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How should rising stars like Steveson balance lucrative side opportunities (WWE, endorsements, media) with the singular focus required to build a GOAT-level MMA legacy?
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Given the history of combat sports corruption and drug-war politics discussed, how can fans realistically separate hype from truth when evaluating organizations and narratives?
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Transcript Preview
(drumming music) Joe Rogan podcast. Check it out. The Joe Rogan Experience.
Train by day, Joe Rogan podcast by night, all day. (rock music) All right. What's happening? Pleasure to meet you, man.
How are you?
Great. I'm great. W- when you got a name like Gable, and you're named after Dan Gable, and you go on to win an Olympic gold medal in wrestling, that is kind of- (laughs)
That's crazy, right? (laughs)
... that's kind of prophetic.
Um, my mom, when I was young, she was trying to find names for me, and she liked Kale Sanderson because Kale was a guy at the time. But she was at a tournament in Iowa with my older brother, and she kept hearing, "Gable, Gable, Gable." And it was Dan Gable at the time. And you know, Dan Gable's a huge figure in the Midwest for wrestling, and so she was like, "Why don't I name you Gable Dan?" And the rest was history, which is really crazy-
That-
... 'cause it- it- his whole timeline is my timeline, which is fantastic.
Except the MMA part.
That too.
Yeah.
Which I wish he would've done.
(laughs) Well, he would've been amazing at it, but-
I think he would've- I think he would've been amazing.
But it wasn't around, I mean, when he was wrestling.
Bare knuckle maybe? I don't know. Do it on a street or something.
(laughs)
(laughs) He could've found- he could've found a way.
It's kind of fucked that there's no real professional outlet for actual wrestling.
It is fucked, and, uh, wrestling needs a real way to go out there and, and be something big. And I think they have a really good one now with, um, RAF. If you haven't heard about it-
Yes, I have.
... it's American Freestyle. They're trying, and I think they're trying really well, and I think it's gonna come to a point where, how do you make matchups continue? Because, you know, wrestling gets to the point where... And- and fighting and- and- and a lot of other sports, you can get to the point where, you know, maybe you draft a guy, and fighting, there's a next big thing.
Mm-hmm.
There's a next guy out there that you can kinda create, and with wrestling, they're trying to create a- an atmosphere of how can you create that person. And I like it, and I think it might work, and hopefully it keeps going the way it needs to go.
(clicks tongue) It would be interesting if it... Well, the problem is MMA is so huge now, and people kind of associate wrestling with either MMA or pro wrestling now.
Mm-hmm.
Like those are the two things that they think of. And it's one... I think it's one of those things like soccer, where soccer should be huge in America. It's huge all over the world, right? It's a very exciting sport. But nope.
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