Chris Weidman is high on Gable Steveson’s potential to be the next great MMA heavyweight, but he knows that any early career misstep can prove costly.
Weidman was once the highly decorated wrestler who transitioned to MMA with much promise. He went on to fulfill that by becoming just the eighth fighter at the time to become UFC champion with an undefeated record when he upset Anderson Silva to claim the middleweight title at UFC 162 in July 2013.
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Like almost all in the sport, Weidman’s time on top didn’t last forever, and he’s now retired from competition and serves as a desk analyst for the UFC. Although his wrestling accolades don’t match that of Olympic gold medalist Steveson, nor did the era of his rise match the hype of today’s social media era , Weidman can still relate to Steveson’s process.
Many fans and analysts want to see Steveson join the UFC heavyweight division today. Joe Rogan already sees him as championship-calibre. His octagon debut is unavoidable and happen sooner than later, and Weidman admits that could be scary for the 25-year-old’s development.
“The thing that was different (about my debut) is that I was fighting the best guys in the country early on before I got to UFC,” Weidman told MMA Junkie. “There was no padding fights where I’m just looking to get comfortable inside the octagon before I get to the UFC. I fought Uriah Hall in my third fight. We’re both undefeated. My fourth fight was a guy with like 20 fights. Really good record. I felt a little bit more prepared because I wad fighting higher-level guys.
“When he does go to the UFC – the thing with the heavyweight division is there is going to be guys he fights where it’s like padding your record again. It’s like the Bo Nickal thing where you keep him away from certain guys and get them to a certain path. But he’s going to have to get streamlined because the heavyweight division needs it.”
Gable Steveson, MFL 3
There is much to be excited about with Steveson and his potential. He has surrounded himself with a strong team including Greg Jackson and Brandon Gibson as coaches, as well as UFC legend Jon Jones as a mentor. The foundation is there, but Weidman cited Aaron Pico as an example of how things can go irredeemably wrong.
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Pico made his pro debut with the now-defunct Bellator MMA organization at 19 and with hype as the greatest prospect in the sport’s history. He was finished in three of his first seven fights, however, and although Pico has gone on to have a respectable career, he has yet to meet the potential initially placed on him, and was most recently on the wrong end of a 2025 Knockout of the Year contender vs. Lerone Murphy.
“Aaron Pico was such a freaking beast wrestler and was a golden glove champion,” Weidman said. “His hands were unbelievable. I think he lost his first fight. Everyone always asks me, ‘What do you think of this guy? Do you think he’s going to be a good fighter?’ You never know. You can be a good fighter but you can lose your first fight, and how do you deal with that? Now you chin is a little bit more suspect than usual. Poor Aaron Pico, man. His skillset is so good, and I hate to even say it, but is his chin there anymore? He got knocked out too many times early in his career. It just sucks to see because his potential is so high. He was going against tough competition a little bit too early.”
Ultimately, Weidman hopes Steveson is best positioned to succeed and his ambition is tapered by reality. Steveson moved to 3-0 in his career on Thursday when he mauled an overmatched Hugo Lezama for a first-round TKO, once again circulating buzz around his inevitable UFC arrival.
“The guy looked like he was fighting for his life and he knew it was over and he was just trying to land something big before it was over. It was a little sloppy,” Weidman said. “His last fight before that looked way more clean. The way he exploded from a left hook into a beautiful takedown. … This fight looked like, ‘OK, still a little green. Still a little green in there.’ Which is to be expected. But man, the sky’s the limit for that guy, for sure.”
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Chris Weidman: Gable Steveson shouldn’t be rushed to UFC title
