Gable Steveson’s 2019 sexual assault case was openly referenced by his UFC 331 opponent at Thursday’s press conference to promote the event.
Heavyweight Sean Sharaf flat-out referred to his opponent as a “rapist” and nicknamed him “loophole”, referencing Steveson’s sexual assault case.
“I don’t dislike the guy. Nobody likes a rapist. This guy raped a woman in 2019, and that’s why everyone’s booing him. You can’t do that shit. It’s wrong.”
Steveson responded, calling Sharaf “a coward” for referencing that and attempted to turn it back to the fight. Sharaf followed by calling him “loophole”, a reference to prior law in Minnesota.
Sean Sharaf: “Nobody likes a rapist.” pic.twitter.com/wC15v619GV
— Jed I. Goodman © (@jedigoodman) September 18, 2026
In 2019, Steveson and teammate Dylan Martinez were arrested on suspicion of criminal sexual conduct and suspended by the University of Minnesota after the heavyweight wrestling star was accused of raping a woman. The Hennepin County attorney’s office determined it could not bring charges against Steveson and Martinez, citing “inadequate evidence”.
Hennepin County attorney Mike Freeman indicated that alcohol may have been a factor in the case. During this time, Minnesota had laws regarding a victim’s ability to give consent despite intoxication, a law that has since changed in the state.
A lawyer representing Steveson in 2019 maintained that her client was “100% innocent.”
Steveson continued to wrestle at the University of Minnesota and won a gold medal for the U.S. in freestyle wrestling at the 2020 Olympics. Following a stint at WWE, the ex-wrestler tried out for the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League before embarking on an MMA career.
The 26-year-old has a 4-0 professional record and made his UFC debut this past July. He will fight Sharaf this Saturday at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.
