UFC 327 fighter Curtis Blaydes has weighed in on one of the most talked-about rising stars in the sport’s heavyweight division.

Gable Steveson’s reputation has only grown since he made the switch from amateur wrestling to MMA, and it hasn’t taken him long to make an impression in his new sport.

The 2020 Olympic gold medalist is already three fights into his MMA career, all first-round knockouts. His early success has fuelled talk about a move to the UFC, where many expect him to land sooner rather than later.

But Blaydes thinks Steveson would be wise to address one area of his game before making that jump into the promotion. “He needs some work. He still needs to learn how to strike,” Blaydes told The Schmo. “His grappling, obviously, is elite. His athleticism is also elite.

Why Blaydes thinks Steveson’s reach could cause problems in the UFC

Steveson took a hard head kick early in his most recent fight, but he managed to recover and finish Hugo Lezama by TKO at Mexico Fight League 3.

His team believe that overcoming early adversity will help his development, but not everyone is convinced there aren’t bigger challenges ahead. Blaydes shared his thoughts on Steveson’s skill set, pointing out a specific area of concern.

“I think he’s a lot better grappler than (Hokit), but he doesn’t have the reach. So I feel like that’s going to be an issue,” Blaydes said at media day.

“It hasn’t been an issue yet, but you give him a longer guy who knows how to sprawl, that could be a problem.

“I’d like to see him have to figure that out before he gets to the UFC. I don’t want him to be overly rushed and get exposed,” he added.

“(But) if he believes (that he’s ready), then all power to him.”

The former heavyweight and light heavyweight champion has tipped the Indiana native for greatness, even predicting he will be regarded as the most elite heavyweight in the world by the end of 2026.

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