Gable Steveson and Sean Sharaf exchanged heated words ahead of their fight at UFC 331 this Saturday.
Steveson enters the bout as a heavy betting favorite, but he received a negative reaction from some fans during the pre-fight press conference (see video below). When Sharaf was asked for his thoughts on his opponent, he referenced the crowd response while making a serious accusation regarding Steveson.
“I don’t dislike the guy. Nobody likes a r*pist,” Sharaf said. “This guy r*ped a woman in 2019, and that’s why everyone is booing him. You can’t do that sh*t, it’s wrong.”
Steveson fired back by accusing Sharaf of already looking for a way out of their upcoming fight.
“He’s already lost just by saying that,” Steveson said. “He’s a coward. He’s already looking at the way out. He’s looking at the way out of this opportunity.”
Steveson continued, arguing that Sharaf should instead view the fight as a major opportunity.
“He’s here because of me, and this should be a great opportunity to go against Gable Steveson.”
Steveson vs. Sharaf is currently scheduled as the second fight on the UFC 331 main card.
The event is set to be headlined by Joshua Van defending the UFC Flyweight Championship against Alexandre Pantoja, while Arman Tsarukyan will face Maurício Ruffy in a lightweight bout in the co-main event.
