The two-time world champion and Olympic gold medalist steps into the UFC cage at 329 tonight. His debut is a case study in what elite wrestling brings to grappling sports, and what BJJ still has to offer in return.
Reviewed by BJJ Gyms · Updated 2026-07-27
Data from CBS Sports UFC 329 card preview.
Not all wrestling translates equally to MMA, and Steveson's specific style is worth understanding before watching him compete tonight. He won Olympic gold in freestyle wrestling in the 125kg division, a weight class that rewards athletic explosiveness and scrambling over pure strength or slow mat wrestling. His fighting style in wrestling competition has been characterized by constant movement, unexpected entries, and the willingness to take positional risks that lower-level wrestlers would avoid.
That style of wrestling is both well-suited and somewhat different from the typical MMA wrestling game. The best MMA wrestlers, from Khabib Nurmagomedov's smothering top pressure to Henry Cejudo's explosive level changes, tend to use wrestling primarily to get opponents down and maintain top control. Steveson's freestyle background may lead to a more scramble-heavy approach, taking more back-and-forth positional exchanges in pursuit of dominant control.
The critical question for any elite wrestler entering MMA is not whether the takedowns work, they do, but whether the fighter has developed enough comfort with the threat of submissions and back takes from bottom that they can maintain aggression on top without getting caught. A wrestler who is afraid of the bottom game will hesitate to commit to takedown attempts, which is the first way an elite wrestling game gets neutralized in MMA competition.
Every wrestler who transitions to MMA eventually encounters the same challenge: the person on the bottom in a wrestling match is disadvantaged in almost every way, but the person on the bottom in a BJJ context can be dangerous. Guard work, submission entries from the back, and triangle setups from compromised positions are specifically designed to punish top fighters who do not respect the ground game beneath them.
For a fighter of Steveson's size and wrestling caliber, the priority on the ground is maintaining tight position and preventing the opponent from creating frames, shrimping out, or taking the back. These are BJJ-derived defensive habits that need to be drilled specifically because they are not instinctive for wrestlers who have spent their careers thinking about the bottom as a liability rather than a weapon.
Fighters like Cejudo, who combined Olympic gold in freestyle wrestling with legitimate BJJ skills, showed what the ceiling looks like when both systems are developed in parallel. Cejudo's ability to submit opponents while controlling them on top, not just hold them down, made him genuinely difficult to defend against at all levels of the game. Whether Steveson has had time to develop that combined game is something tonight's debut will begin to answer.
UFC debut events for genuinely elite wrestlers tend to generate significant interest in BJJ gyms, particularly when the wrestler's credentials are as verified as Steveson's. There is a recurring question in combat sports about whether elite wrestling is sufficient for MMA success without an equivalent level of BJJ development. The careers of highly decorated wrestlers who have struggled in MMA, as well as those who have thrived, provide evidence on both sides.
What tends to determine outcomes is not whether wrestling beats BJJ or vice versa, but whether a fighter has developed enough competency in both systems to use each strategically. Steveson's debut tonight will provide the first evidence of where his development currently sits. The takedowns will likely be effective. The question is what happens next and whether he has the positional BJJ awareness to translate takedown success into finishing sequences.
If Steveson's debut inspires you to think about your own wrestling and BJJ crossover development, tonight is a good reminder that both systems have something essential to offer. Use our gym finder to locate a BJJ school near you, where the interplay between wrestling and submission grappling is part of regular training.
The history of elite wrestlers transitioning to MMA includes both cautionary examples and inspiring success stories. Here are five who defined the range of outcomes:
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Very much so. The wrestling principles Steveson applies, takedown entries, top control, scramble positioning, are the same skills BJJ practitioners develop alongside their guard and submission game. Watching elite wrestlers in MMA is one of the best ways to study takedown mechanics in a live, high-pressure context.
Freestyle wrestling allows attacks to the legs and has slightly different scoring than Greco-Roman. MMA wrestling tends to incorporate elements of both freestyle and Greco-Roman, combined with BJJ's guard awareness and submission threats. The explosive athleticism of freestyle translates directly; the MMA-specific applications require adaptation.
Most BJJ gyms with a strong instructor base incorporate wrestling takedowns, clinch work, and top control drills into regular training. If wrestling is a specific interest, some gyms partner with wrestling coaches or offer dedicated wrestling rounds. Ask your instructor what resources are available.