Gable Steveson, Jon Jones, Brandon Gibson, Greg Jackson - LFA

Dana White is high on Gable Steveson's potential as a fighter in the UFC, especially as a product being molded by Jon Jones.

Steveson (1-0) only has one professional MMA fight under his belt, but his world-class wrestling pedigree already has him on the UFC's radar. The 25-year-old won an Olympic gold medal and has numerous collegiate wrestling accolades. With his focus now on fighting, he has the attention of the UFC brass.

"When you have somebody that's a physical freak, an incredible athlete, and a guy who has competed at the highest level, and then they start transitioning into a combat sport like this, it's very interesting," White said on "The Jim Rome Show." "We're definitely keeping our eyes on him, and we'll see how this plays out."

Steveson dabbled in various ventures to see if he could find what would be next for him after his wrestling career. He signed a contract with the NFL's Buffalo Bills to play as a defender, even though he had never played football before, which speaks to his athleticism. He also gave professional wrestling a shot, signing a contract with WWE. Although neither worked out, it was a path that drew parallels to fellow University of Minnesota wrestler, former UFC champion Brock Lesnar.

"Think about this: Brock Lesnar came over here from the WWE, but he was such a strong wrestler, he was able to win the title," White said. "Now, you got a guy like this with his wrestling background, who's actually working his way up in the smaller leagues, getting some experience, and then eventually, he'll end up here and we'll find out what he's capable of doing."

Steveson's pro MMA debut only lasted 98 seconds, making quick work of Braden Peterson at LFA 217. His second combat sports appearance was under the custom rules of Dirty Boxing Championship, Steveson's first competition without the luxury of having his wrestling to fall back on. Steveson knocked out Billy Swanson in 15 seconds at DBX 4. UFC matchmaker Mick Maynard was ringside to witness the carnage.

Steveson appears to be picking up on things rapidly, and training with UFC legend Jon Jones certainly helps. While Jones may have a checkered past as an athlete, White isn't worried that it will affect Steveson's ability to learn from him.

"That doesn't suck either," White said about working with Jon Jones. "That's a great thing, actually. You can get in, and if you look at anybody in the history of boxing and in the UFC, if you train with the best every day, those are usually the guys who become world champions. It's like, talking about Islam (Makhachev). Khabib (Nurmagomedov) has built this factory of badass dudes out in Dagestan. So, when you're in that gym every day and these are the kind of guys that you're training with daily, most of the guys that are gonna come out of that gym are gonna be some of the best in the world."

This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Dana White interested in 'physical freak' Gable Steveson; training with Jon Jones a plus

Reporting by Matthew Wells, MMA Junkie / MMA Junkie

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