Conor McGregor and Jon Jones Cited as Inspiration by Sean Sharaf After Upsetting Gable Steveson

Sean Sharaf studied the psychological mind games used by Jon Jones and Conor McGregor before facing Gable Steveson.

Conor McGregor and Jon Jones Cited as Inspiration by Sean Sharaf After Upsetting Gable Steveson

Sean Sharaf took inspiration from Jon Jones and Conor McGregor (Image via MMA Fighting)

Sean Sharaf walked out of UFC 331 as one of the biggest winners of the night after producing a monumental upset. Heading into the bout, he had an 0-2 record in the UFC. Sharaf revealed that he employed techniques used by Conor McGregor and Jon Jones to mess with Gable Steveson.

Steveson entered the bout as a -2500 betting favorite. Ahead of the fight card in Los Angeles, Sharaf made sure to bring up the controversial past of the Olympian during the pre-fight press conference. Steveson couldn’t properly defend himself and looked to be in discomfort.

Historically, trash-talking has played a huge part in mentally messing with an opponent in MMA. Conor McGregor vs Jose Aldo still remains the biggest example, and Sharaf mentioned about using psychological warfare against Steveson in an appearance on the Weighing-In podcast.

Another part is psychological warfare. I’ve studied Jon Jones, and you saw José Aldo and Conor McGregor. That is a real thing. You say something before the fight, and if it irks somebody the wrong way, they’re not gonna be thinking as level-headed as they would if they are not irked.

Sean Sharaf via Weighing In podcast

Sharaf admitted that he didn’t plan it from a long time and only decided to do it once he got bumped up into the main card of UFC 331. This is because Brian Ortega pulled out of his main card bout against Renato Moicano.

Nevertheless, it worked well as Steveson’s body language showcased that he was uncomfortable. Sharaf knocked the Olympian out cold with his first punch of the bout and made history. It was somewhat reminiscent of McGregor knocking Aldo out cold in the first 12 seconds.

Meanwhile, Jones cornered Steveson at UFC 331. Sharaf mentioning Jones as inspiration while knocking out the protege of ‘Bones’ made the story take an unexpected turn.

The former Marine’s stock in the UFC is at an all-time high and one more victory could elevate him to the heavyweight rankings or a chance to fight a ranked opponent.

Before UFC 331, Sharaf had a lot of debt to worry about. However, he earned $100K in a special performance bonus and more UFC fights will likely help him out in the future.

RELATED
Dana White Admits to Ciryl Gane Mistake, Talks Josh Hokit Title Shot, and Praises Arman Tsarukyan After UFC 331

Sean Sharaf reveals how he was left with $600K in debt

In recent years, a lot of UFC fighters have admitted to not having a decent amount of savings in their bank account. Some have done a better job to save money while others like Sean Sharaf are in a lot of debt.

Sean Sharaf inside UFC octagon
Sean Sharaf inside UFC octagon (Image via Yahoo Sports)

Seeing fighters struggle always make the fans and critics point out the lack of pay in the UFC. Meanhwile, Dana White keeps saying that fighter pay has improved on a yearly basis. Yet, fans always hear stories of debt or having no money in bank account more often.

The story of Sean Sharaf is different and wild to the say the least. His $600K debt came from gambling in Vegas trying to meet the UFC CEO. The former Marine said as much during his conversation with UFC veterans, Michael Bisping and Paul Felder.

I was $600K in debt. I was gambling in Vegas, trying to meet up with Dana. Sometimes that’s when you need to be in those situations to have these incredible moments. When your back’s against the wall, when you have nothing. I truly felt like I was playing with house money. Like, they already counted you out. It’s already written off. So just go out there, perform to the best of your ability, and let it all go.

Sean Sharaf via Michael Bisping podcast

Gambling remains a major problem in the sport of MMA. The FBI investigated some UFC fighters on two separate occasions after major scandals broke out.

Sean Sharaf has a bright future in the heavyweight division if he can keep winning. It remains to be seen how far the former military veteran can go in the UFC.

Also Read: