Things have gone downhill for Gable Steveson ever since winning Olympic gold as far as Henry Cejudo is concerned.
Steveson had a thrilling freestyle wrestling victory over Geno Petriashvil to win gold for America in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Since that time, a brief stint in WWE followed by a training camp with the Buffalo Bills haven’t worked out. Steveson is now trying his luck under the UFC banner, and he already has his back against the wall after suffering a 12-second knockout loss to Sean Sharaf.
Speaking to the folks at Full Send MMA, Cejudo shared his belief that while Steveson’s talent remains unquestioned, he is concerned about the former Olympian’s mental state (via MMAJunkie).
“My question is his perspective,” Cejudo said. “Because with Gable, after the Olympics, he tried out for the WWE, and it didn’t work out. He tried out for (the NFL), and it didn’t work out. There’s something that’s just unsettled there where he’s just not finishing the job after the Olympics. (He finished) second in the Nationals, as well.
“I know it’s (mental). Dude’s a specimen, especially if he’s disciplined. There’s something that’s not there since the Olympics, and he needs to figure that out. Whether he could completely be 100 percent honest with himself and really pinpoint what is it – it’s not technique, I’ll tell you that much.”
In addition to his recent shortcomings as an athlete, Steveson has come under fire due to past sexual assault allegations. Sharaf even mentioned it during the prefight build before putting Steveson to sleep. Steveson was under even more scrutiny when he exited the Octagon before Bruce Buffer announced Sharaf as the winner.
Do you think Gable Steveson’s recent missteps are due to a mental block, or do you simply think he isn’t as talented as others believe? Sound off in the comments below.
This article appeared first on BJPENN.COM
