Marine veteran wins in a quick upset at UFC 331

Marine veteran Sean Sharaf pulled off a quick and surprising victory at UFC 331 on Saturday, knocking out his heavily favored opponent in just 12 seconds.

Sharaf, who served six years in the Marine Corps, including time as a Marine Security Guard, was very much the underdog going into the fight. He had a professional record of four wins and two losses and faced off against Gable Steveson. Steveson, who went into Saturday’s fight with a 4-0 record and had an Olympic gold medal in freestyle wrestling, was heavily favored.

But the fight didn’t last long enough to get to any grappling. The match started and the two traded a handful of jabs and low kicks in the first few seconds. But then Sharaf followed a right hand punch with a hard left hook, catching Steveson in the chin, dropping him. Sharaf went in for another hit but the match was called as Stevesen was knocked out. The fight lasted 12 seconds. It was one of the quickest finishes to a UFC heavyweight fight. 

“I’m just proud. I kept believing in myself, you know. I’m coming off of two losses. It was really hard. I was questioning, doubting myself the whole way. But I just had to trust in myself, and everyone’s praying for me and believing in me,” he said in a post-fight interview. “I just went out there, and I just, I left it in God’s hands. It paid off.” 

Sharaf has been fighting professionally since 2021, but spent more than half a decade in the military. He joined the Marine Corps in 2014, trained at Camp Pendleton in California, and initially served as a 3043 supply administration and operations specialist. He then served as a Marine Security Guard until he left active duty.