UFC's Jon Jones On Gable Steveson: 'I'm Gonna Give That Young Man My Best'

Jon Jones has said it has been "awesome" being Gable Steveson's friend as the former UFC Heavyweight Champion has been training with the Olympic Gold Medalist-turned-MMA fighter.

Steveson dominated at collegiate wrestling and took gold at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics before entering professional wrestling through a NIL deal with WWE. Despite coming into the company with a lot of hype behind him, he never really took to the performance art and was released in May 2024. 

He went on to sign with the Buffalo Bills to play football later that month, but was released by the end of August. And he has now found himself in combat sports with a 3-0 MMA record, and a solitary win in Jon Jones' Dirty Boxing, from fights in 2025 and February this year.

Jones has taken Steveson under his wing and has made it clear he thinks he could be a future UFC Heavyweight Champion – even if he has yet to fight within the promotion. And he made that clear on social media with a promise to give him his best, while being grateful for the opportunity to "live it all over again."

"It's awesome being his friend. He's so young, so everything in life is so new to him. Makes me feel like I get to live it all over again. I'm gonna give that young man my best," Jones wrote about Steveson on X.

It's awesome being his friend. He's so young, so everything in life is so new to him. Makes me feel like I get to live it all over again. I'm gonna give that young man my best. https://t.co/gVtKctK2hn

— Jonny Meat (@JonnyBones) March 21, 2026

Jones is at the tail-end of his career after winning the UFC Light Heavyweight and Heavyweight titles with a 28-1 (1 NC) record, and there remains question marks over whether he will do anything further inside the cage. 

He is in a dispute with the UFC and Dana White over that very question, with Jones claiming he was in negotiations to return at the White House card in June, while White insists that was never the case and he views Jones as retired. Which then prompted Jones to ask for his release. So time will tell how that unfolds and whether or not he will be a coach the next time he sees the Heavyweight title belt.