Olympic gold medalist and two-time NCAA Division I Heavyweight champion Gable Steveson makes his highly anticipated Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) debut this weekend against Elisha Ellison at UFC 329, which goes down Sat., July 11, 2026, inside T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
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And oddsmakers are expecting a complete destruction.
Steveson is now the biggest betting favorite in UFC history, sitting at -2800 on DraftKings. On some other sportsbooks, such as FanDuel, the line has ballooned as high as -4000.
That surpasses fellow college wrestling standout Bo Nickal and Malcolm Wellmaker, who both closed as massive -2500 favorites in their respective fights last year.
But do the odds make sense?
Considering Steveson is fighting one of the lowest-ranked fighters on the UFC roster, it is not hard to see why the line is so absurd. Ellison is currently ranked No. 38 out of 40 UFC Heavyweights on Tapology, making this look like a very deliberate showcase fight for Steveson.
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That said, Steveson is not just any newcomer.
He enters the promotion as one of the most accomplished Heavyweight wrestlers in recent memory, having won Olympic gold and two NCAA Division I national titles before transitioning to mixed martial arts (MMA).
Nevertheless, the former Olympic gold medalist enters the UFC carrying enormous hype after steamrolling through his first three professional MMA appearances. He knocked out Braden Peterson in less than two minutes (watch highlights) in his MMA debut before scoring a 24-second knockout over Kevin Hein later in 2025 (watch highlights). Earlier this year, the 25-year-old scored another stoppage win over Hugo Lezama in Mexico (watch highlights).
So, yeah, the hype is real.
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Still, -2800 — and especially -4000 — is absolutely insane for any UFC fight, let alone a debut. Steveson is expected to win, expected to dominate and expected to look like the future of the Heavyweight division.
No pressure.
To see who else is fighting at UFC 329 on Paramount+ click here.
