UFC's new heavyweight hopeful crashes and burns in a mere 12 seconds

His name is Gable Stevenson and if you are a UFC fan, you have probably had this guy's name force-fed to you over the past 6 months or so.

He is a heavyweight and the UFC desperately needs a good heavyweight or two in their ranks. He was 3-0 in MMA before joining UFC and then, right after signing, he secured an impressive 1st round TKO over veteran jobber Elisha Ellison (and yes, that is a man although the name seems rather ladylike.)

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To make Gable even more marketable, he has the added "Golden Ticket" of having none other than Jon Jones in his corner as a trainer (or so they say) so if they ever want a fight, all they have to do is have Jones make a phone call to his BFF Dana White and it gets done.

Some would rightfully say that after a mere single victory in UFC that Gable didn't really deserve a place on the main card at a numbered UFC event but those of us that have watch this sport evolve (devolve?) are well aware of the fact that the matchups that happen generally aren't based on stats.

Gable was being pushed as a the "next big thing" and I suppose it is easy to understand why. Not only is he heavy but fit, but he is also an Olympic Gold Medalist in wrestling, which he won in 2020. On paper and in his past performances he seemed to be a genuine threat, but then again, highlight reels don't tend to show a fighter's weaknesses.

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It was one of the first punches thrown in the bout and it happened in 8 seconds. It wasn't even that hard of a punch as punches go in UFC, but it was enough. Dude was basically out cold but it took 4 more seconds for him to fall to the ground and have the ref call it off.

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To make matters worse for Gable and his crew, he was quickly escorted away from the octagon after he regained consciousness. Jon Jones later would claim responsibility for this move.

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You need to stick around and take your medicine when you get KO'd or even if you lose. Daniel Cormier was adament about this when it happened because you may recall there was a time in the past where DC definitely didn't want to be there after losing to Jon Jones. He was in tears he was so shook up by the loss...but he still stuck around because it is a professional courtesy.

This childish walk-away hopefully closes the door on him getting other chances, as much as I actually would like to see new life get breathed into the heavyweight division. Maybe Jones' clout can dig him out of this, he is a magic person afterall.

Another bad side effect of all this drama is that almost nobody is even talking about the guy who KO'd the "next big thing" in 12 seconds.

Sean Sharaf is his name, and we need to give this guy credit.

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This guy took all the press about him getting slept fast, he faced one of the largest betting underdog situations that I have ever seen. Basically everyone was laughing at him like he was a lamb to the slaughter... He was a 10-1 underdog on average and at one point a 12-1 underdog. People weren't giving guy a snowball's chance in hell and were basically mocking him. Then he goes out and destroys the chosen one in a single punch.

Then he gets almost zero press afterwards. Now, I'm not saying that Sharaf deserves to go up in the rankings because of this victory. Any of these guys can go down in one punch when the person you are facing has "leg arms." But let's give the guy credit at least. He faced overwhelming odds against him and emerged victorious anyway.

Gable on the other hand, he should get thrust far down in the rankings after this, but since the management so desperately wants new blood in there, he will likely get another chance. Perhaps on the same card as Jones?