Gable Steveson’s next fight won’t come in an MMA cage.
After making his successful pro debut in the sport earlier this month, Steveson spoke about his intention to focus solely on MMA moving forward. The Olympic gold medalist wrestler told Uncrowned’s “The Ariel Helwani Show” that he hoped to secure one more fight this year and continue to gain experience but that fight will now come in the Dirty Boxing ring.
The promotion announced Wednesday that Steveson (1-0 MMA) is set to face Billy Swanson (4-3 MMA) at Dirty Boxing 4 on Oct. 30 in Nashville, Tennessee. Both men will make their Dirty Boxing debut when they compete. As of right now, the heavyweight contest is the only fight on the card.
The Olympic champ’s trek into Dirty Boxing continues his pursuit of unique ventures after brief stints in the NFL and WWE. Created by UFC veteran turned bare-knuckle boxing superstar Mike Perry, Dirty Boxing’s ruleset prohibits grappling and essentially hosts boxing matches that allow backfists, forearm, palm and elbow strikes. In terms of hand-wear, all fighters compete with five-ounce MMA gloves.
Steveson, 25, scored a thunderous victory in his debut MMA fight when he took on Braden Peterson at an LFA event on Sept. 12. Needing only 98 seconds to put away Peterson with vicious ground-and-pound, Steveson came out of the bout unscathed and ready to stay active.
To start his career in MMA, Steveson has garnered support from several all-time combat sports greats, such as former two-division UFC champion Jon Jones, who has glowingly endorsed him. In the wake of Wednesday’s news, Jones even took to social media, predicting that his teammate and friend will one day become a UFC champion.
Dirty Boxing will be much more of a foreign territory for Steveson than his opponent, Swanson. “Big Sexy” competed in a Muay Thai match in 2024 before taking his talents to the bare-knuckle boxing world with BKFC last month. He lost both bouts by stoppage.
Prior to that, Swanson’s past two MMA fights came in the PFL and Bellator cages.