Olympic gold medalist and UFC prospect Gable Steveson recently appeared on The Joe Rogan Experience to discuss the state of modern MMA, with particular emphasis on how elite wrestlers are dominating the sport.
The 25-year-old offered his perspective on the two stars who exemplify wrestling excellence at the highest level: Islam Makhachev and Khamzat Chimaev.
Steveson explained how top-level grapplers are revolutionizing mixed martial arts by mastering what he calls “MMA wrestling” rather than pure wrestling. “I feel like when a lot of guys, a lot of D1 wrestlers come to MMA, they kind of don’t make the switch of how to take the right shot and how to finish the right shot and how to use your feet to trip their feet out on the cage,” Steveson said. “And if you get stuck in a guillotine, how do you move from that spot?”
The former University of Minnesota standout emphasized that the fighters who excel understand this distinction. “I think you see the guys that are doing it best, the Islams, the Khamzats are really going out there and attacking and making sure that people can understand that hey, you got to fear this and then next I’m going to come with the hands,” he explained.
According to Steveson, this approach forces opponents into an impossible situation. Fighters must respect the wrestling threat, which opens opportunities for striking. “That’s the biggest thing that we’re working on now is that I’ve wrestled my whole life and I’ve done great things and won the Olympics and multiple national championships. But I think the main thing is going out there and understanding that you are that bad dude, but when you show them hands now, you got to have to respect both.”
When discussing Khamzat Chimaev specifically, Steveson praised his aggressive mentality. “I’m a big fan of Khamzat. I love his style. I love his intensity. His intensity is the best thing ever,” Steveson said. “It’s the best thing ever to watch because when I was wrestling, I like to go out there and just, you know, put the hammer down and dominate. And he’s got it. He’s got that touch.”
Rogan noted that Chimaev’s intensity nearly became his downfall when he contracted COVID-19. “That animal part of him almost killed him because he refused to stop training when he had COVID,” Rogan said, explaining that Chimaev would show up at the gym for two and a half hour sessions while sick, eventually vomiting blood.
Steveson acknowledged the warrior mentality but also recognized the importance of proper training management. He pointed out that Chimaev’s partnership with strength and conditioning coach Sam Calavitta, who uses scientific monitoring of heart rate and recovery, has been crucial to his continued success.
The conversation also touched on Islam Makhachev, who Steveson views as the evolution of the Dagestani wrestling style popularized by Khabib Nurmagomedov. While praising Khabib as “without doubt one of the all-time greats,” Rogan noted a key distinction between the retired champion and his protégé.
“The difference between Khabib and Islam is Islam is elite standupwise,” Rogan observed. “Like Khabib was very good standup, but Islam knocked out Volkanovski with a head kick. That’s not in Khabib’s repertoire. Islam is on another level. It’s like one more level above. He can knock you out standing. He can knock you out on the ground. He could submit you. He could take you down.”
Steveson emphasized how this combination creates an unsolvable puzzle for opponents. The constant threat of the takedown compromises striking defense, while improved striking makes setting up wrestling attacks easier. “It’s hard when you got to think about so many things,” he explained, referencing Makhachev’s dominant performance against Jack Della Maddalena.
As Steveson prepares for his own UFC debut, potentially at the White House, he’s studying how these wrestlers have translated their grappling excellence into complete mixed martial arts domination.
