Valter Walker: Gable Steveson 'Wasn't There' Mentally at UFC 331

Olympic gold medalist Gable Steveson suffered the first loss of his mixed martial arts career at UFC 331 on Sept. 19, getting stopped by Sean Sharaf in just 12 seconds. Steveson entered his sophomore Ultimate Fighting Championship appearance as a massive favorite against Sharaf, who held an 0-2 record in the promotion, but the bout ended in one of the biggest upsets in recent memory.

According to heavyweight Valter Walker, the outcome was heavily influenced by the hostility Steveson faced throughout fight week. The Olympian was relentlessly booed at the pre-fight press conference and weigh-ins, with Sharaf repeatedly bringing up Steveson's past controversies. Across social media, comment sections were inundated with his mug shot and references to past sexual assault allegations, leading to a substantial drop in his online following.

Speaking to Red Corner MMA, Walker explained that the relentless negativity took a clear psychological toll on Steveson before he stepped inside the Octagon. “A lot of guys post a lot of sh*t about him on the internet and he lost a lot of followers,” Walker said. “I think he lost maybe half a million followers on Instagram.

And I think that sh*t can really shake your head before a fight. I think people really f*cked with him mentally. He went into the cage, but mentally, he wasn’t there.”