Sean Sharaf entered as a +875 underdog against Jon Jones’ protege Gable Steveson on the UFC 331 main card, in one of the most anticipated heavyweight showdowns of the night. However, the former United States Marine flipped those odds by pulling off the most shocking knockout of the evening.

From the opening bell, Sharaf pressured Steveson against the cage. During the first exchange, he noticed the former Olympian drop his guard to parry a jab and countered with a powerful left hook that sent Steveson crashing to the canvas. Sharaf landed a few follow-up shots to seal the deal, and the referee stepped in to stop the fight just 12 seconds into the first round.

‘The Smoke’ was ecstatic after securing the standout victory of his career. But while Sharaf celebrated, the cameras panned to Jon Jones, who was in Steveson’s corner. The arguably greatest fighter in UFC history had a rough night as a coach, looking flabbergasted and concerned after watching his fighter get knocked out cold.

Jones’ mouth was wide open, and the cameras clearly caught him saying “Oh my god” after Steveson got knocked out. The sorrow on the former champ’s face was apparent as Jackson Wink head coach, Greg Jackson, the coach of both Jones and Steveson, came over and whispered something in his ear.

Fortunately, Steveson got up and began talking to his corner and the officials who came to check on him. However, he left the Octagon before Bruce Buffer could announce the official result, clearly devastated by the loss. For ‘Bones,’ though, his protege’s loss is going to hit really hard.

Jones started training with Steveson around 2024, and the two have shared multiple sessions since then. Because of that, both have forged a bond that goes beyond the typical coach and pupil relationship. The former NCAA champ and Olympian was part of ‘Bones’ team when he faced Stipe Miocic at UFC 309. In fact, the former UFC champ cornered Steveson for his promotional debut at UFC 329, where the 26-year-old beat Elisha Ellison by knockout.

At that time, the camera showed Jones’ reaction, where he was overjoyed by his protege’s victory. Alas, Jones couldn’t share that same joy this time as Sean Sharaf pulled off an amazing knockout over the hyped prospect. However, Jones isn’t alone in watching a teammate get knocked out.

Last month at the UFC Shanghai main event, former lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov saw his cousin and training partner Umar Nurmagomedov get flatlined by Song Yadong. Emotions ran so high that Umar’s younger brother, PFL lightweight champion Usman Nurmagomedov, broke the rules by entering the Octagon without the officials’ permission. 

After the brutal finish unfolded at UFC 331, fans didn’t mince their words, roasting Jon Jones after his protege lost by knockout. 

Fans mock Jon Jones following Gable Steveson’s knockout loss at UFC 331 

Noticing Jones’ reaction after Steveson’s loss, one fan wrote, “Bro was shocked.” Another fan followed up, writing, “bro was about to cry.” A different fan commented, “SHOW ME JONS FACE!”

Continuing the string of backlash, another fan wrote, “Generational corner cam reaction,” while another user mentioned, “Khabib, then Pereira, now Jones corner reaction has been hilarious man icl.”

Khabib’s reaction to Umar Nurmagomedov’s loss definitely went pretty viral, but the fan didn’t specify which Pereira reaction they meant. Previously, ‘Poatan’ cornered Sean Strickland against Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 312. However, he remained stoic and didn’t react much after DDP picked apart his training partner and former adversary.

Even so, reactions to Jones’ protege kept coming, with one fan claiming that watching Steveson get slimed out was the equivalent of seeing ‘Bones’ flatlined, “F–K ITS CLOSE ENOUGH TO SEEING JONES LAID OUT STIFF.” Another fan wrote, “Jon Jones coaching debut starts at 0-1.”

Here, the fan definitely misrepresented the numbers. Steveson already beat Elisha Ellison at UFC 329 under Jones’ coaching, so he’s currently 1-1. Meanwhile, one user found an opening to take a dig at Jones for calling out welterweight champion Islam Makhachev on X.

“Jones is lowkey regretting making fun of Islam getting KO’ed cuz now one of his own fighters just got a taste of it 😂,” the fan wrote.

It’s not entirely clear that ‘Bones’ would actually be regretting those shots at Makhachev, because the discussion was very different. The former two-division champion recently became entangled in a GOAT debate after the Dagestani brought up his steroid allegations. In response, Jones fired back by bringing up Makhachev’s knockout loss to Adriano Martins, stating that he never saw a loss like that in his pro career.  

With Gable Steveson’s hype derailed by a monumental knockout loss, it’s expected that Jon Jones and Steveson’s coaches will go back to the drawing board. That said, it will be interesting to see whether he can bounce back stronger.