Jones Stunned By Steveson's 12-Second UFC 331 KO

Jon Jones sat cageside at UFC 331 on Saturday night expecting to watch his protégé Gable Steveson extend an unbeaten run. Instead, he watched Sean Sharaf land a left hook 12 seconds into the fight that sent the Olympic gold medalist crashing unconscious to the canvas.

Cameras caught Jones frozen in disbelief, mouth open, staring at the screen before finally muttering, "Oh my God," per MMA Mania. The former two-division UFC champion has served as Steveson's primary coach and mentor since the wrestler joined his New Mexico camp after helping Jones prepare for his 2024 heavyweight title defense against Stipe Miocic.

Sharaf Pulls Off Massive Upset Over Heavily Favored Steveson

Sharaf entered the Crypto.com Arena bout as a massive underdog searching for his first UFC win after back-to-back knockout losses. Steveson, meanwhile, was a minus-2000 betting favorite with four straight stoppage victories. Sharaf wasted no time unloading heavy punches, and his second shot of the fight twisted Steveson's head around and ended the contest, as MMA Fighting reported. Referee Frank Trigg waved off the action at the 12-second mark.

The loss marked the first of Steveson's MMA career and dropped him to 4-1. He left the cage before Bruce Buffer could announce the result, drawing boos from the Los Angeles crowd. Multiple fighters criticized Steveson on social media for the early exit, with one writing he had "lost all respect for that dude," according to MMA Fighting.

Steveson remains one of the most credentialed athletes ever to enter MMA, but now faces his first real adversity inside the cage. Jones will be tasked with helping the 26-year-old rebuild after a defeat nobody saw coming. UFC 331 continues Sunday morning with Joshua Van defending the flyweight title against Alexandre Pantoja.

Reported via:

• MMA Fighting — ‘Lost all respect for that dude’: Pros rip Gable Steveson for leaving UFC 331 cage early after knockout loss to Sean Sharaf
• MMA Fighting — UFC 331 results: Sean Sharaf scores stunning upset of Gable Steveson with 12-second knockout
• MMA Mania — Video: Watch speechless, jaw-dropped Jon Jones react to Gable Steveson’s stunning UFC 331 knockout loss – ‘Oh my God’