Dana White reacts to Gable Stevesons stunning UFC 331 loss, Steveson leaving the cage early

UFC 331 was another big night for the underdogs on Saturday in Los Angeles. In only his second appearance in the Octagon, Olympic gold medalist wrestler Gable Steveson fell short in one of the biggest betting upsets in UFC history.

Tasked with facing the unheralded Sean Sharaf, Steveson got caught by a big two-punch combination in only 12 seconds, giving Sharaf the stunning knockout win. Steveson (4-1) was listed as high as a -2500 favorite on some sportsbooks going into the heavyweight fight, while Sharaf was more than a 10-to-1 underdog.

UFC CEO Dana White was asked about Steveson's loss in the UFC 331 post-fight press conference, and despite the notable upset — and the UFC’s heavy investment into Steveson as a prospect — he was left largely unsurprised by the result.

"Anything is possible when two guys get in there and start fighting," White responded. "You never know how a fight's [going to go]. That's why people always ask me, 'Oh, what do you think? Is this guy going to fight this guy after Saturday?' Let's see what happens on Saturday. I don't know what the fight's going to look like.

"It's like when people say, 'Oh, this card sucks.' The f***ing card hasn't happened yet. What do you mean it sucks? And if it sucks, I'll be the first one to say it sucks."

The loss was Steveson's first of his young MMA career, and only his first in any sort of active competition since Wyatt Hendrickson's big collegiate wrestling upset in the NCAA finals in March 2025.

As soon as Steveson regained consciousness after his knockout loss, he left the Octagon early and headed to the back before the official decision could be read — a response which drew heavy criticism from both fans and Steveson’s fellow fighters alike.

Reacting to Steveson's early exit, White reasoned through the emotions of the moment before recalling the infamous time Forrest Griffin did something similar after his trilogy fight with Tito Ortiz at UFC 148 in 2012.

"When you're in that position, obviously, he had huge expectations on himself, and it happens," White said. "Forrest Griffin f***ing ran out of the Octagon when he won the fight. These things happen."

For Sharaf, the win was his first in the Octagon after suffering two consecutive knockout losses. He's now 5-2.

In his post-fight press conference, Sharaf kept things respectful despite the ample pre-fight trash talk between the two.

"I saw him leaving, but I was thinking about this before the fight,” he said. “I was 4-0 undefeated when I had my first loss in the UFC. He just had his first loss. It makes you better. You're going to take a look back, and you can't underestimate people. You can't think you're untouchable and you're just going to run through people.

“So, I think he's going to go back and get better. He's got a hell of a lot of talent. I'm sure you guys will see him again."