Gopher GOAT Knocks Out Latest MMA Opponent Immediately

The Minnesota Gophers wrestling team and 5x All-American Gable Steveson milked every ounce of his college eligibility from 2018-2024, where he won 70-straight matches, 4 Big Ten Championships and 2 National Championships over SIX total seasons.

During a break in his collegiate wrestling career, Steveson tried and failed to catch on as a rising WWE star. Then, he showed his insane athleticism by jumping to football, a sport he didn’t even play in high school, let alone any level after that. Unfortunately, that career change ultimately failed, as well.

Gable Steveson starts MMA career off HOT

Out of college eligibility and alternative pro athlete options, Gable turned (almost begrudgingly) back to his roots, following his final college wrestling season.

Instead of performance acting, however, Steveson followed in the other footsteps of fellow Gopher wrestling GOAT, Brock Lesner, announcing the official start to his Mixed Martial Arts career.

And so far… Gable’s MMA prospects are looking far better than his WWE and NFL chances ever did. The come-up started back in September, when Steveson absolutely dominated his “LFA” debut with a first round TKO (1:38) of his debut opponent Braden Peterson, who was also making his official MMA debut.

Then on Sunday evening, the Minnesota Gophers GOAT put the Mixed Martial Arts world was really put on notice in Milwaukee, WI, when Gable Steveson knocked the lights out of his second-ever MMA opponent, Kevin Hein, just 24-seconds into the first round.

Gable Steveson just flatlined Kevin Hein in 30 seconds. Now 2-0 in pro MMA. Send him to the UFC. 🖊️ pic.twitter.com/2qWvGxnF9r

— FULL SEND MMA (@full_send_mma) November 24, 2025

Gable Steveson got the KO so fast he tried to shoot a double leg on an already unconscious opponent 😭

(via @anthonypettisfc) pic.twitter.com/W21SLletE2

— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) November 24, 2025

The most notable takeaway from Sunday’s knockout is that it happened on a stand-up left-hook that Hein never saw coming, resulting in the 32-year-old toppling like a poorly constructed Leaning Tower of Pizza. The hasty victory made Gable Steveson 2-0 in his MMA career, officially.

Steveson could climb MMA (and UFC) ranks quickly

But the 25-year-old former Gopher also won a non-official fight three weeks ago, in Nashville, against “Big Sexy” Billy Swanson, who he TKO’d in 15 seconds. That makes three fights (and three victories) in just three months.

Look, Gable Steveson is one of the greatest Greek-Roman wrestlers of all time. Nobody is doubting whether or not he will be able to handle his business on the mat. That’s probably what his opponent was looking for Sunday night, when suddenly, a lightning-fast left fist knocked his lights out unexpectedly.

If the former Minnesota Golden Gopher can fight standing up too, he could rise up the MMA and UFC ranks faster than anyone since… you guessed it, Brock Lesner.