Gable Steveson Beats Elisha Ellison, Stats, Prize Money & Highlights from UFC 329

Gable Steveson has officially arrived in the UFC with a first-round TKO win over Elisha Ellison on the UFC 329 undercard.

Stevenson is known for his wrestling, but he clearly wanted to work his striking early in the fight. He landed some leg kicks that showed off his work with Jon Jones ahead of his MMA debut. 

One of those kicks hit the cup before landing on Ellison's waistline, causing the referee to give Ellison a chance to recover. 

It didn't matter as Steveson continued to showcase a diverse striking skillset. Before finishing him with a big left hand. 

It wasn't a perfect performance. As Luke Thomas noted, Steveson has to work on his defense. However, there's a lot for the big man to work with.

Jon Jones, who has been working with Steveson, came away impressed.

Steveson is one of the most hyped prospects UFC has seen in some time. The heavyweight is a two-time Division I national champion wrestler, amassing a 103-3 record.

The 26-year-old also has an Olympic gold medal on his resume, winning the 125kg class in freestyle wrestling at the 2020 Olympic games.

After initially choosing to pursue professional wrestling with WWE, Steveson has turned his attention to mixed martial arts.

It's been a good decision thus far. Steveson brought a 3-0 MMA record to his UFC debut.

Renowned MMA coach Greg Jackson, whose trainees include Jon Jones, believes Steveson has the material to become a champion.

"Without a doubt (he can be champion)," Jackson said, per Nolan King and Danny Segura of MMA Junkie. "Taking a gold medal at the heavyweight level is so hard to do. Unbelievable. The talent there, the who you're going up against – good lord. Just winning an NCAA, just one title, is so hard to do. Yeah, he has the championship mentality."

Steveson's elite athleticism and wrestling pedigree combined with early success already have championship buzz in the air. However, it will be interesting to see just how quickly the UFC wants to put him in that big of a spot.

Ellison was an ideal debut opponent. He only had five professional fights under his belt as an undersized heavyweight and had lost his only fight in the UFC.

Prize money was not disclosed for the event, but it has reportedly generated a $25 million gate and Steveson's bigger paydays will come as he climbs the UFC ranks.

It's safe to say we'll see Steveson moving up the ladder a bit in his next appearance.