Olympic gold medalist, a Jon Jones protege, set for Nashville Dirty Boxing fight in October
Nashville is the next stop for Olympic gold medalist wrestler Gable Steveson as he continues his burgeoning MMA career.
Steveson will make his boxing debut as he features in the main event of Dirty Boxing Championship 4 against Billy Swanson on Oct. 30 at The Pinnacle in Nashville. Dirty Boxing is co-owned by Jon Jones, Steveson's coach and training partner, along with Mike Perry, a BKFC standout who recently faced Jake Paul in the ring.
"Every time I compete, I'm chasing growth," Steveson said in a press release. "Boxing is a new challenge and DBX is the perfect stage to keep testing myself and showcase my evolution as a fighter."
Steveson, 25, made his MMA debut on Sept. 12 and is wasting no time getting the gloves back on as he headlines the promotion's first-ever fight card in Tennessee. Representing the United States, Steveson won the Olympic gold medal in freestyle wrestling at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and is a two-time NCAA Division I national champion with Minnesota.
Soon after beginning his MMA career, Steveson was invited to join Jones in his training camp for Stipe Miocic at UFC 309 in Nov. 2024 and the two have continued working together since, with Jones touting Steveson as a future UFC heavyweight champion.
"It’s not a matter of if he can, it’s a matter of when," Jones said in a Sept. 24 reply on X. "I’ve had many great teammates over the years, but I’ve always said if I would ever be a coach it would have to be a wrestler who was completely committed to success. I found my guy and I’m excited to add world championship coach to my resume."
His opponent, Swanson, fights out of the Chattanooga area and has complied a 4-3 professional MMA record, most recently fighting in August on a BKFC card where he suffered a TKO loss to Bear Hill.
"Bringing Dirty Boxing to a new city is something we've been looking forward to since day one," Jones said in the release. "Nashville's grit, energy and reputation for spotlighting talent makes it the perfect first stop as we expand across the country and eventually go international."
Gable Steveson MMA debut
Steveson is only weeks removed from his professional MMA debut, when he scored a first-round finish at LFA 217. Steveson took just 98 seconds to finish Braden Peterson with a ground and pound after utilizing his wrestling pedigree to secure an early takedown.
Prior to Steveson's MMA debut, he was briefly signed by the WWE in 2021, becoming the second gold medalist to be signed by the promotion after Kurt Angle. He later tried his luck with football, with ESPN's Adam Schefter announcing in May 2024 that he had signed a deal with the Buffalo Bills, before later being released in August of that year, opening the doors for the start of his MMA career.
Dirty Boxing rules
Dirty Boxing melds both boxing and mixed martial arts for a unique form of combat sports.
The fights are contested with five-ounce gloves, similar to those used in the UFC, in an 18-by-18 foot ring. Non-title fights are typically contested over three, three-minute rounds while championship fights and select main events can be contested over five rounds.
The biggest differentiator between traditional boxing and Dirty Boxing is the use of both elbows and the ground and pound. Beyond the typical fist-first striking permitted in boxing, Dirty Boxing allows elbows to be thrown, while when a fighter is knocked down a ground and pound finish is allowed under the condition that the punches thrown are landing.
"… when one fighter becomes downed as a result of effective hand strikes, follow-up action, and ground and pound will be allowed to continue as long as long as the strikes are effective," Dirty Boxing's rules state. "If a grounded fighter is able to wrap up, push the opponent off, or get back up, the ref will pause the fight and stand the fighters up."
The bouts are scored by three judges and no kicks of any kind are permitted.
Harrison Campbell covers combat sports for The Tennessean and high school sports for The Daily Herald. Email him at hcampbell@gannett.com and follow him on Twitter @hccamp.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Jon Jones protege Gable Steveson to fight in Nashville Dirty Boxing show
MMA Mixed Martial Arts News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos
