Gable Steveson knows what it takes to be great at something. That’s precisely why he’s in no rush to prove he’s great at MMA. In an era where fighters try to sprint to UFC titles, Steveson sees UFC 331 as one step in a more calculated process.

Steveson won an Olympic gold medal and two NCAA Division I championships before throwing his first professional punch. Those accomplishments came from years of repetition. One year removed from his MMA debut, and preparing for his second UFC fight on Saturday, Steveson is applying the same patience to a sport he’s still figuring out.

“It’s like a college football player playing his first game at Alabama,” Steveson told CBS Sports. “You try to rush it and make sure to get things done in an overly correct way. This time, in my second appearance, I’m going to slow things down, really pick it apart, be a natural at what I do, let the crowd gravitate to me and dominate.”

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Steveson has barely scratched the surface of wrestling in MMA. He discovered that his hands carried legitimate power in his professional MMA debut, and he’s been toying with new tools ever since. His wrestling isn’t going anywhere. He threw a flying knee against Elisha Ellison in his UFC debut in July, and plans to keep experimenting on Saturday against Sean Sharaf.

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“We were practicing spinning back elbows before we came in,” Steveson said. “You can see something new is coming. People are going to feel it. On Saturday, you’re going to see a whole other level of Gable Steveson. I’m excited to show people elbows, knees, kicks. Anything on the body part that works; it’ll hit him.”

There is temptation to accelerate things. The UFC heavyweight division recently underwent a significant change after Tom Aspinall, still recovering from the eye injuries that sidelined him last year, vacated the title, promoting interim champion Ciryl Gane to undisputed status. Heavyweight is always looking for its next attraction, and few prospects arrive with Steveson’s combination of credentials, athleticism and name recognition. 

That doesn’t mean he’ll jump from developmental fights to the top five. Asked whether he’d accept that opportunity if UFC offered it after Saturday, Steveson didn’t hesitate.

“I think we say, ‘no,’ and make sure that business is in the right spot,” he said. “We start with that. A lot of people don’t make sure their business is in the right spot. I’ve gone through a lot of business decisions the past few years with the NFL and WWE. I know what it takes to be in the right spot. I know financially what it means to be in that spot.

“We’ll keep focusing on winning and dominating. When that time comes, we will get to that spot. It will be big for us.”

Now that he’s committed to the UFC, he won’t allow someone else’s timeline to dictate his own. Even if that someone is loudmouth contender Josh Hokit.

Hokit has tried to manufacture a feud between them, repeatedly trying to get the attention of Steveson and his coach, former UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones. Steveson previously suggested Hokit move to light heavyweight rather than wait around for him for Hokit’s sake. He stands by that.

“Honestly, I think he’s a great fighter,” Steveson said. “I never said anything about Josh Hokit. He was a fantastic wrestler in college. I think he’s a top five heavyweight right now. But do I think the time will come when he moves down? I do believe so.”

Los Angeles also presents another temptation. UFC 331 arrives less than two years before the 2028 Summer Olympics take over the city. Steveson has expressed interest in returning to freestyle wrestling and chasing another gold medal on home soil.

Steveson hasn’t abandoned that ambition, but his priorities have changed. Winning another Olympic gold medal is secondary to accomplishing something new.

“I do,” Steveson said when asked if there was a path to pursue both. “But if it means not going to the Olympics to fulfill my destiny of being champion here, that’s what means most to me. I signed up to be a UFC fighter. I will do my absolute best to win what Gable Steveson deserves. If that means giving up the Olympics, then it has to happen.”

Steveson’s MMA career has moved remarkably fast on paper, but he isn’t confusing opportunity with readiness. He spent years becoming the best wrestler in the world and knows what rushing development can cost. If another Olympic run, a top-five opponent, or anything else interferes with becoming the fighter he thinks he can be, Steveson is willing to wait.