Olympic champion and Jon Jones protégé Gable Steveson faced serious legal trouble in 2019 during his Olympic cycle with the U.S. wrestling team. On June 15, Steveson and a teammate were arrested and charged with gang rape involving a foreign object after a victim reported the incident to a hospital. The case had very limited public information, and ultimately the charges were dismissed due to a legal loophole that prevented the victim's testimony from being admissible because she had voluntarily consumed alcohol the night of the alleged incident. There were no witnesses besides the victim and the two wrestlers, and their accounts contradicted each other, leaving no direct proof of guilt. Notably, the law was changed following this case to ensure victim testimony is now considered by courts under any circumstances.
Gable Steveson, the Olympic wrestling champion who has trained alongside UFC heavyweight titleholder Jon Jones, was arrested and charged with gang rape involving a foreign object in June 2019, charges that were later dismissed on a legal technicality, according to records now receiving renewed public attention.
On June 15, 2019, Steveson and a teammate were taken into custody after a victim reported the alleged incident to a hospital. The case involved no witnesses beyond the victim and the two wrestlers, whose accounts directly contradicted one another. Prosecutors ultimately could not proceed because a legal loophole at the time prevented the victim's testimony from being admitted in court on the grounds that she had voluntarily consumed alcohol on the night in question. With no independent evidence and the victim's account rendered inadmissible under the law as it stood, the charges were dropped.
The case did not remain without consequence for the legal framework surrounding it. Legislators subsequently changed the law to close the loophole, ensuring that a victim's voluntary alcohol consumption can no longer be used to bar their testimony from court proceedings.
Jones, who is listed in UFC records at 38 years old with a professional mark of 28 wins and 1 loss, has publicly been associated with Steveson as a mentor figure in the wrestling-to-MMA pipeline. Jones stands six-foot-four with an 84-inch reach and remains one of the most decorated heavyweights in the promotion's history.
Why it matters
- The 2019 charges against Steveson were serious felony allegations that remained largely out of public view during his amateur wrestling career
- The dismissal hinged on a statutory technicality rather than a factual determination of innocence or guilt
- The case directly prompted a change in law to protect victim testimony in similar circumstances going forward
- Steveson's connection to Jones places the story within the broader UFC orbit as he pursues a professional mixed martial arts career
