A detailed account has surfaced regarding 2019 criminal allegations against UFC newcomer and Olympic champion Gable Steveson. On June 15, 2019, while Steveson was part of the U.S. Olympic wrestling team cycle, he and a teammate were arrested and accused of group sexual assault involving a foreign object. The alleged victim went to a hospital and immediately filed charges. The case was ultimately dismissed due to a legal loophole that prevented the victim's testimony from being admitted because she had voluntarily consumed alcohol on the evening of the incident. There were no witnesses besides the alleged victim and the two wrestlers, and their accounts contradicted each other. Following this case, the law was changed to allow victim testimony regardless of circumstances. The post also references Steveson's connection to Jon Jones as his protege in UFC.
A detailed account of 2019 criminal allegations against UFC newcomer and Olympic wrestling champion Gable Steveson has resurfaced, drawing renewed scrutiny to events that occurred before his transition to professional mixed martial arts.
According to the report, on June 15, 2019, Steveson and a teammate were arrested and accused of group sexual assault involving a foreign object while Steveson was competing within the U.S. Olympic wrestling team cycle. The alleged victim sought hospital treatment immediately following the incident and filed charges. The case was ultimately dismissed after a legal loophole prevented the victim's testimony from being admitted into evidence, stemming from the fact that she had voluntarily consumed alcohol on the evening in question. No independent witnesses were present; only the alleged victim and the two wrestlers, whose accounts directly contradicted one another. In the wake of the case, lawmakers moved to close that loophole, changing the law to allow victim testimony regardless of the circumstances surrounding alcohol consumption.
Steveson, who went on to win Olympic gold and later signed with the UFC, is identified in the report as a protege of heavyweight champion Jon Jones. Jones, 38, carries a professional record of 28-1-0 and is widely regarded as one of the most accomplished fighters in the promotion's history, landing 4.38 significant strikes per minute at a 58 percent accuracy rate across his career.
Why it matters
- The report brings a previously dismissed criminal case back into public focus as Steveson begins his UFC career
- The legal outcome hinged on an evidentiary rule that has since been changed, adding context to how the dismissal was reached
- Steveson's association with Jones ties the story to one of the UFC heavyweight division's most prominent figures
- No charges are currently pending, but the account raises questions about the vetting of new talent entering the promotion
