Cormier and Rogan condemn Steveson for walking out after 12-second knockout at UFC 331

Gable Steveson’s unbeaten record and heavyweight hype came to an abrupt end at UFC 331 on Saturday night, when Sean Sharaf landed a picture-perfect left hook just 12 seconds into the opening round to score one of the most shocking knockouts in recent UFC memory. The Olympic freestyle wrestling gold medalist, a heavy favourite heading into the bout, was out cold before he hit the canvas — and the manner of what followed made the night considerably worse.

After recovering from the stoppage, Steveson rose from the canvas and walked straight out of the octagon without congratulating Sharaf, acknowledging the Los Angeles crowd, or waiting for Bruce Buffer to announce the result. The moment triggered an immediate backlash on social media and drew pointed criticism from the two men calling the card.

“You cannot be a great winner but then an ungrateful loser and I think that was bad by Steveson,” said Daniel Cormier, who was on commentary duties. “You stand there and you take your licks whenever you lose. You let that man get his hand raised and you stand there no matter how you feel. If you’re concussed, cry — I did it! There’s the truth!”

Joe Rogan placed the blame partly on the weight of expectation that had built around the 26-year-old prospect, who entered the fight at 4-0 against an opponent who was 0-2 inside the octagon.

“I think the odds and the hype got to his head and he felt he couldn’t be beaten,” Rogan said. “He stood there flat-footed and Sean just uncorked a picture-perfect left hook. He dipped and then hooked and caught him on the chin. Out cold. It was one of the greatest storybook, Cinderella stories — it has to be without a doubt the biggest odds ever.”

Cormier, a former two-division UFC champion himself, acknowledged that Steveson is still early in his MMA development but argued that the loss exposed a fundamental tactical error. “He’s new to this and Sharaf had no respect for him,” Cormier said. “Gable’s an Olympic champion and maybe people expect other people to respect that but they’re not going to.”

The defeat is a significant setback for a fighter who arrived in the UFC with considerable fanfare. Whether Steveson can regroup, refocus, and address both the tactical and temperamental shortcomings on display at UFC 331 remains to be seen.