Gable Steveson has his first UFC fight booked, and the promotion is putting him on a massive Las Vegas card.
Steveson is set to face Elisha Ellison at UFC 329 on July 11, 2026, inside T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. The heavyweight bout joins the card headlined by Conor McGregor vs. Max Holloway 2, giving Steveson a major spotlight for his Octagon debut.
Steveson is 3-0 in MMA, with all three wins coming by knockout or TKO. Ellison is 5-2 overall and 0-1 in the UFC after losing to Brando Pericic by first-round knockout at UFC Perth.
Oddsmakers already expect a one-sided debut. Steveson reportedly opened around -2000, which says plenty about how the market views the matchup.
🚨FIGHT NEWS🚨
Gable Steveson vs Elisha Ellison at #UFC329 July 11
📰: Dana White pic.twitter.com/VhmndYaO7S
— Kevin (@realkevink) May 17, 2026
Steveson Gets A Manageable First UFC Assignment
Steveson’s wrestling background is the obvious reason for the UFC push. He won gold at 125 kg freestyle wrestling at the Tokyo Games and became a two-time NCAA Division I heavyweight champion at Minnesota before moving through WWE, football, and MMA.
His MMA work has been short and direct. Steveson stopped Braden Peterson in Round 1 at LFA 217 in September 2025, knocked out Kevin Hein in 24 seconds later that year, then stopped Hugo Lezama in Mexico in February 2026. Before UFC 329, he is also scheduled for an RAF wrestling match against Alexandr Romanov on May 30, a bout already covered when Steveson was matched with Romanov for his RAF debut.
Ellison is not being brought in as a mystery. “The Snack Panther” has finished all five of his wins and owns four knockouts, but his UFC debut ended quickly against Pericic. He now gets a second UFC assignment against a decorated heavyweight wrestler with clear promotional momentum.
The UFC 329 lineup also includes Benoit Saint Denis vs. Paddy Pimblett, Mario Bautista vs. Cory Sandhagen, Lone’er Kavanagh vs. Brandon Royval, Nikita Krylov vs. Robert Whittaker, Cody Garbrandt vs. Adrian Yanez, Cesar Almeida vs. Damian Pinas, Kai Kamaka vs. Luke Riley, Ryan Gandra vs. Zach Reese, Cody Durden vs. Ode Osbourne, and Tracy Cortez vs. Cong Wang.
For Steveson, the assignment is clear: win clean, avoid rookie mistakes, and show whether his wrestling translates before the UFC starts moving him toward tougher heavyweight names.
