Anthony Wint thinks Sean Sharaf should retire. He would also very much like to fight him first.
The undefeated heavyweight, two days removed from a 23-second knockout of Lucas Armand at UFC 332 in Salt Lake City, said on Monday’s edition of The Ariel Helwani Show that he caught Sharaf talking about walking away on Joe Rogan’s podcast. His review was blunt: “that’d be the smartest thing for him to do.”
He didn’t stop there. “Not saying anything against Sean, but I honestly don’t think he could be a world champion,” Wint said, before calling Sharaf’s win over Gable Steveson “almost unfathomable.” Then he left the door wide open. “It’s a step up in risk, but it’s a big step up in reward. It’s up to him.”
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Wint is 9-0, 31 years old and a former New York Jets linebacker who earned his UFC deal on the Contender Series in August. He submitted Terrance Chatman in his debut, and the Armand stoppage was the fifth time he’s finished someone in under a minute. Only one opponent has heard the final bell with him, Omar El-Sahlah, who lost a split decision to Wint at Fury FC in March 2025.
Sharaf is the guy who turned UFC 331 upside down on Sept. 19. Steveson, the Tokyo 2021 Olympic gold medalist who came up under Jon Jones and Greg Jackson, closed as a -2500 favorite at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. Sharaf, the former Navy SEAL, put him down with a left hand 12 seconds in. That win came after two straight TKO losses and left him 1-2 in the promotion.
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These two aren’t strangers. Wint said they trained together before he got his contract, and that he effectively played the opponent role while Sharaf got ready for Steveson. “I told him, ‘If I was Gable, I would go out there and try to take your head off, try to knock you out,’” Wint said.
He’s been careful to keep the heat off the personal side. At the UFC 332 post-fight presser he said, “I love Sean. There’s no beef between me and Sean, so I hope people don’t build it up as that,” and noted that Sharaf once gave him a ride from the Performance Institute to his hotel. He told Helwani he’d happily train with Sharaf again if the fight never happens.
The target date is UFC 334 at Madison Square Garden on Nov. 14, a card headlined by Josh Hokit and Ciryl Gane for heavyweight gold. Wint admitted short-notice calls for the biggest card of the year are hard to land, and said he hasn’t spoken to his agent yet, though his team knows what he wants. Heavy’s breakdown suggested the UFC might go for it, since Sharaf’s record doesn’t scream protected prospect.
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My take: book it and put it on the main card. A guy telling his old training partner to retire and then asking to punch him at the Garden is the most honest callout of the year, and Wint answering questions this straight is a gift. He should be a big favorite on paper. So was Steveson, at -2500, for 12 seconds.
