Jon Jones’ presence around Gable Steveson may have backfired in the UFC according to Joe Rogan

Joe Rogan thinks having a GOAT in the corner may not have been entirely positive for Gable Steveson.

The 2020 Olympic gold medalist in freestyle wrestling was being widely tipped for big things inside the UFC Octagon after signing with the promotion this year.

Jon Jones predicted Steveson could become champion by the end of 2026, but the heavyweight belt remains a sizable distance away after what happened when the 26-year-old made his second appearance at UFC 331.

He was knocked out cold in 12 seconds by Sean Sharaf, and one man who had a front-row seat wonders if Jones’ presence had a bad effect on Steveson’s mindset.

Sean Sharaf knocked out the Olympic gold medalist in 12 seconds.

Jones reacted in shock to Steveson’s KO defeat, which came just a few months after he was on the winning side of a stoppage in his UFC 329 debut.

The leading GOAT contender has been gaining experience as a coach since the decorated wrestler committed to an MMA transition.

But while recently hosting Sharaf on his JRE MMA Show, Rogan wondered if the presence of someone as good as Jones may have created an overconfidence in Steveson.

“That’s the problem. You’re hanging out with a guy who’s the GOAT and you start thinking you’re the next guy,” Rogan said.

“You might be, you could be, if you do the right things. But if you believe it before it happens — like, you have to be cautious but also confident.

“There’s this dance of the mind,” he continued. “There’s so much going on to be an elite fighter. You have to be aware.

“Look at Kamaru Usman. Beating Leon Edwards for four rounds…one head kick, boom! Lost the title, never the same guy. Because you’re human!”

The longtime UFC color commentator is not the only one to lay partial blame on Jones for the result on September 19.

Colby Covington has urged Steveson to cut ties with Jones after the brutal KO at UFC 331, while a number of others suggested ‘Bones’ was responsible for the 26-year-old leaving the cage prematurely in Los Angeles.