Jamil Kelly, Olympic silver medalist and former teammate of Daniel Cormier who also coached Steveson as a youth, rates Gable Steveson as a once-in-a-generation heavyweight talent. Kelly describes Steveson as slightly more athletic than Cormier, crediting his exceptional footspeed and hand speed for making his double-leg takedown nearly impossible to read. He notes that while Steveson excels through finesse and timing, Cormier had an edge in single-leg tenacity and sheer mental toughness in grinding situations. Kelly compares Steveson's early instincts to those of Abdulrashid Sadulaev.
Jamil Kelly, an Olympic silver medalist in wrestling who once coached Gable Steveson as a youth and later trained alongside Daniel Cormier, has offered a striking assessment of Steveson's potential as a heavyweight fighter, calling him a once-in-a-generation talent.
Kelly's praise centers on Steveson's physical tools. The 26-year-old American, who stands six-foot-one and has yet to make his professional MMA debut, is described by Kelly as slightly more athletic than Cormier, with exceptional foot speed and hand speed that make his double-leg takedown nearly impossible to read for opponents. Kelly compares Steveson's early instincts to those of Abdulrashid Sadulaev, one of the most decorated freestyle wrestlers of the modern era.
The endorsement carries weight given Kelly's vantage point. He has seen both men up close — coaching Steveson during his youth development and competing alongside Cormier, who went on to become a two-division UFC champion with a professional record of 22 wins and three losses. Cormier, now 47, landed 4.25 significant strikes per minute across his career at 52 percent accuracy while averaging 1.83 takedowns per 15 minutes — a benchmark that illustrates how elite the standard is that Steveson is being measured against.
Kelly does draw a clear distinction between the two wrestlers. He credits Cormier with a tangible edge in single-leg tenacity and mental toughness in grinding, attritional exchanges — qualities forged through years of high-level competition. Steveson, by contrast, is seen as operating more through finesse and timing than brute persistence.
Why it matters
- Steveson enters MMA with a 0-0 professional record, meaning Kelly's assessment is entirely projection based on wrestling pedigree
- The Cormier comparison sets an extraordinarily high benchmark given DC's decorated combat sports career
- Style analysis from a credible insider — Olympic medalist and direct coach — adds rare context to Steveson's pre-debut profile
