Gable Steveson could be a top-10 MMA fighter in any organization, including UFC, Bellator fighter says

• Gable Steveson is already one of the world's top combat sports athletes.
• That's according to Phil Davis, a Bellator MMA fighter who competes against Yoel Romero on Saturday.
• Steveson, an Olympic champion, recently signed a three-year deal with WWE. He could fight MMA after.

American gold medal-winning wrestler Gable Steveson, 21, could be a top-10 MMA fighter in any organization, including the UFC.

That's according to Bellator MMA athlete Phil Davis, an accomplished wrestler himself who returns to the cage Saturday to fight Yoel Romero.

Their light heavyweight ruck headlines the 13-fight Bellator 266 event which takes place inside the SAP Center in San Jose, California, and will be broadcast on the premium network Showtime.

But before their brawl, both fighters spoke to Insider about the fighting abilities Steveson exhibited at the Olympic Games earlier this year in Tokyo, and how good he could be if he had chosen MMA over professional wrestling with the WWE.

"What wrestling brings to fighting is quintessential and invaluable, so him competing at the highest level in wrestling lets me know that he's already a top tier fighter," Davis, a 36-year-old former collegiate wrestling champion, told us.

Davis said Steveson is so good already, after what he showed throughout the Olympics this summer, that he wouldn't run into a comparable talent until he faced a fighter ranked inside an MMA promotion's top-10.

"In order to beat that guy [in the top-10], it's going to take some training," Davis said.

Steveson wrote a Hollywood script at the Olympics

Steveson's performance in Tokyo captured the attention of the media, the imagination of the fans who watched from home, and made many sports industries stand up and take notice.

Steveson's run to the Olympic title included a win over the defending champion Taha Akgul in the 125-kilogram men's freestyle category, before coming from behind to topple three-time world champion Geno Petriashvili in the final.

Steveson's victory was made all the more remarkable as he was 5-8 down on the scoreboard with around 90 seconds left in the match. Battling both his opponent and an expiring clock, Steveson had only 10 seconds to rally.

But rally he did, as he scored takedown after takedown before winning with half a second to spare.

The spectacular victory saw him become one of the greatest free agents in all sports, as it seemed like he was courting interest from professional wrestling companies, MMA firms, and even football teams, as reported by MMA Fighting.

Steveson signed a three-year deal with the WWE that will see him return to the University of Minnesota where he'll prepare for another NCAA championship, as well as a future life in sports entertainment.

Bellator MMA fighter Davis, though, believes an MMA career could still be an option for Steveson as the wrestler would bring huge interest and fanfare with him, after a successful period in the WWE.

"I'm sure he's got a good five year plan mapped out," said Davis. "Going to the WWE is going to give him that amazing fanbase, and give him some of that [Jake and Logan] Paul brother mystique when he comes into MMA."

Wrestling is the best foundation for MMA, Bellator fighters say

The main event fighters for Saturday's Bellator 266 show, Davis and Romero, both agree that out of all the individual combat sports disciplines, it is wrestling that provides the best base for MMA.

Though this means, in theory, Steveson is well-poised to excel should he ever compete in the sport professionally, Romero - a former silver medalist from the 2000 Olympic Games - said it all depends on the athlete.

"Everything depends on the athlete," Romero told us in Spanish, via an English language translator. "Depending on how the athlete can make the transitions.

"There are athletes who don't like to get punched in the face. There are boxers who don't like to get kicked. I have friends who box, and they don't like to get kicked. They don't like to get thrown or slammed.

"Or, maybe, being a wrestler, they don't like to get hit. It all depends on the athlete, the personality. There are Muay Thai fighters who don't like jiu jitsu.

"Sometimes when they go to the floor, they get put in a submission hold and do not like it. So they say MMA is not for them. Therefore all we have to do is wait and see.

"If he's able to adapt to the sport, all we can do is wish them a fruitful and prosperous career," Romero said, before adding: "Wrestling is a pedigree that dominates and annoys a fighter who can't wrestler."

Steveson is already one of the world's best

Davis finished: "If Steveson decided to get into MMA right now, he'd be a top-10 fighter on anybody's roster.

"Now, to get through the top-10 is going to take some more experience. But he's immediate top-10 just on what he can do - how he can move, how fast and strong he is, and his physicality."

Bellator 266 takes place this weekend.

It is 44-year-old former UFC star Romero's debut appearance for the Los Angeles-based promotion.