Gable Steveson suffered the first loss of his MMA career at UFC 331 , and former UFC fighter Matt Brown now has questions about the people guiding him. Steveson was knocked out by Sean Sharaf in just 12 seconds on September 19. He also left the Octagon before the official result was announced. Brown believes Steveson still has huge potential, but says Jon Jones may not be the right person to guide him through moments like this.




Matt Brown questions Jon Jones’ role in Gable Steveson’s coachingSpeaking on The Fighter vs. The Writer podcast, Matt Brown said the problem may go beyond the knockout itself. He pointed to the way Steveson handled the fight week, the criticism around him and his quick exit from the cage after the loss.




Brown said, “It doesn’t feel like Jon Jones is the right guy to be coaching him and to be guiding him through this s**t. His responses to a lot of the negativity coming his way were absolutely terrible. Worded terribly, spoken terribly.”




Brown was careful not to say that one defeat had ended Steveson’s chances in MMA. Instead, he said the Olympic gold medalist needs the right coaching and the right level of motivation to reach his potential.




“I think he’s unstoppable if he has the right hunger and motivation and then I have to question the coaching. He’s got to have the right coaching. Jon Jones trying to teach him to be Jon Jones is not the way,” Brown said.




Brown also questioned what happened immediately after the fight. Steveson walked out before Sean Sharaf received the official result, while Jones and other members of his team were with him. Brown felt they should have encouraged Steveson to stay and face the moment.




“Jon Jones, Greg Jackson and Mike Winkeljohn, they hugged him on the way out. I saw a little video clip of that. They should have been the ones to tell him go back in, be a man about it,” Brown said.




Gable Steveson’s UFC 331 loss brings more questionsSteveson entered UFC 331 with major expectations after starting his professional MMA career with four straight wins. Sean Sharaf changed everything almost immediately, landing a left hook that ended the heavyweight fight after only 12 seconds, according to MMA Fighting.




The loss also brought attention to Steveson’s decision to leave the Octagon early. UFC CEO Dana White took a different view from some of the criticism. Speaking after the fight, White said MMA can produce unexpected results and noted that fighters sometimes react emotionally after difficult moments.




“Obviously, he had huge expectations on himself. It happens,” White said, according to MMA Junkie.




Jon Jones later took responsibility for helping Steveson leave the cage. Brown’s concern, however, is about what happens next. He believes Steveson has the physical ability to become a major heavyweight, but says his training and support system need to help him deal with pressure, setbacks and difficult moments.




Brown’s comments do not mean he has given up on Steveson. His main point is that the 26-year-old needs to learn from his first loss rather than let it define his MMA career.