Gable Steveson got knocked out in 12 seconds at UFC 331. Now, with the dust barely settled, the Olympic gold medalist has finally broken his silence, and his first words weren’t really about the brutal loss. Instead, the 26-year-old went straight at the s-xual assault allegations that followed him into his 2nd fight.

The controversy exploded during fight week after heavyweight opponent Sean Sharaf repeatedly called Gable Steveson a “rapist” and a “loophole” while promoting their matchup. After taking the devastating first-round loss, the Olympian has now released a lengthy statement addressing the allegations.

“This statement is for my family, my friends, my fans, and the people who truly know me and know the kind of man I am,” Steveson wrote on Instagram. “I know there are people who will never support me, no matter what I say or do. That’s their choice. But I’m speaking to the people who know me not just as an athlete but as a husband and a father to a young daughter.

“Prior to and during fight week, an incident from my college years was brought up by my opponent. I believe it was raised to get in my head, but it also reopened something that had been addressed years ago. I want to be clear—I did not do anything alleged. I was never charged with a crime, and the matter was ultimately dropped by the district attorney.”

The 26-year-old also stressed that, in his account, the allegations were not simply swept under the rug. According to Gable Steveson, he fully cooperated with law enforcement and also went through a separate Title IX review.

“The allegations were not ignored nor brushed aside. They were thoroughly and heavily reviewed as I fully cooperated with law enforcement, including a separate Title IX review,” he continued. “There were no criminal charges, no conviction, and no finding of responsibility against me.

“The matter was closed, and there is no pending legal issue involving me. My own attorney did their own investigation and stated on the record that even if the law was changed, I would have the same outcome, which now speaks for itself.”

For the unaware, the controversy dates back to 2019, when Gable Steveson was arrested on s-xual misconduct allegations. He has consistently denied wrongdoing, and the charges were eventually dropped after prosecutors determined there wasn’t enough evidence to move forward. As a result, the Olympian ultimately faced no criminal penalty.

For years, the incident largely stayed in the rearview mirror. That changed during the UFC 331 buildup, when Sean Sharaf repeatedly brought the allegations back into the spotlight while promoting their fight.

Gable Steveson also acknowledged that people may still have questions, especially if they’ve only heard one side of the story. But for him, the focus now is on putting the noise behind him and moving forward with his family.

“I understand how serious allegations like this are, and I understand that people may have questions when they hear only part of a story,” he added. “Moving forward, I am going to keep focusing on my wife, my daughter, my family, and the work in front of me.

“To the people who support me, thank you. I know who I am. My family knows who I am. The people who have walked with me through life know who I am. That’s what matters to me, and that’s where I’m going to keep my focus.”

However, Gable Steveson wasn’t done just yet, as he also had a few words for the man who handed him the first loss of his MMA career.

Gable Steveson congratulates Sean Sharaf for capitalizing on his ‘mistake’

The 26-year-old walked into UFC 331 with plenty of hype behind him, but the whole thing was over almost instantly.

Sean Sharaf needed just 12 seconds to put Gable Steveson away, landing a right hand before following up with a nasty left hook that caught the Olympic gold medalist flush on the chin.

Just like that, the Olympian’s 2nd ever UFC fight ended in one of the fastest heavyweight finishes in UFC history. But despite the brutal way the night ended, he still gave Sharaf his credit and made it clear that one loss, no matter how ugly, isn’t going to define what comes next for him.

“As for my opponent, congratulations, you caught me. A mistake on my end was made. It was your night,” he stated. “Just like my wrestling days after my loss, I came back with an undeniable will to win and focus that led me to the top of my sport.

“The result of Saturday night, I believe, will catapult me to do the same. I will be great, and this won’t deny me.”

The loss hit even harder because Gable Steveson had looked almost untouchable heading into UFC 331. He was 4-0 as a professional MMA fighter, with every single win coming by first-round knockout. His UFC debut against Elisha Ellison in July ended in just two minutes after the 26-year-old scored another stoppage

And this wasn’t some random prospect walking into the Octagon. Before switching to MMA, he had already built one of the most decorated wrestling resumes imaginable. Steveson was a two-time NCAA Division I national champion and won the Dan Hodge Trophy twice.

Then came the biggest moment of his wrestling career. At just 21 years old, he captured freestyle wrestling gold at the 2020 Olympics, putting himself on the map as one of the sport’s biggest young stars.

But none of that mattered once ‘The Smoke’ got his opening. However, the controversy around Steveson didn’t exactly disappear when the fight ended. After Sean Sharaf knocked him out, the 26-year-old was seen leaving the Octagon before Bruce Buffer had even officially announced the result.

That immediately sparked questions from fans, with some wondering why the heavyweight prospect didn’t stick around to acknowledge his opponent after suffering the first loss of his career. But Jon Jones later cleared up the situation, revealing that leaving the Octagon wasn’t actually Gable Steveson’s call.

After an already chaotic UFC 331 fight week, it was just one more layer added to a night the Olympian will probably want to put behind him.