Steven Ray (born 25 March 1990) is a Scottish

mixed martial artist Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on striking, grappling and ground fighting, incorpo ...

who competes in the

Lightweight Lightweight is a weight class in combat sports and rowing. Boxing Professional boxing The lightweight division is over 130 pounds (59 kilograms) and up to 135 pounds (61.2 kilograms) weight class in the sport of boxing. Notable lightweight ...

division of the

Professional Fighters League The Professional Fighters League (PFL) is an American mixed martial arts league founded by venture capitalist Donn Davis in 2017 and launched in 2018, following the acquisition and restructuring of the former World Series of Fighting (WSOF) promo ...

(PFL). A professional competitor since 2010, he has also formerly competed for the

Ultimate Fighting Championship The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...

(UFC),

BAMMA BAMMA (British Association of Mixed Martial Arts) was a mixed martial arts promotion based in the United Kingdom. It premiered on June 27, 2009, and was shown on the television channel Bravo. BAMMA events were shown live on ITV4 in the UK and I ...

and

Cage Warriors Cage Warriors (CW) is an Irish owned mixed martial arts promotion, based in London, England. The promotion was established in 2001 and staged its first MMA event in London in July, 2002. Many MMA stars have made their names under the Cage War ...

, where he was the Lightweight Champion, as well as the BAMMA British Lightweight Champion.

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Ray started as an amateur, going 7–0, his first fight was a short notice fight, at Middleweight, for which he weighted in 175 lbs. His next fights were at Welterweight. Ray made his professional mixed martial arts debut in June 2010. Ray competed predominantly in the United Kingdom where he amassed a record of 16–5 before joining the

. He also won a pro muay thai fight against Scott Morrison, class B rules, super middleweight division, by unanimous decision on 12 May 2012.

Brazilian jiu jitsu

Stevie Ray has also competed in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, in 2011 he won the Scotia Cup 2011, in the middleweight (under 82,3 kg/181 lbs) division at white belt and the Glasgow Open 2011, in the medium-heavyweight (under 88,3 kg/194 lbs) division at white belt. In 2012 he won Scotia Cup 2012, in the medium-heavyweight (under 88,3 kg/194 lbs) division at blue belt and the Glasgow Open 2012, in the middleweight (under 82,3 kg/181 lbs) division at blue belt. In 2013 he placed 3rd in the Glasgow No Gi Open 2013, in the middleweight (under 82,3 kg/181 lbs) advanced division. Stevie fought Ellis Younger in a no gi grappling match, at 176 lbs / 80 kg, on the 25th of August 2018, in an event called Scottish Grappling Invitational 2. He lost the match on points. On April 20, 2019, Ray competed in the Edinburgh Open 2019, he took 1st place in the Middleweight (82,3 kg/181 lbs) Gi - purple belt division and also took 1st place in the Middleweight (79,5 kg/175 lbs) No Gi - purple belt division. Stevie made his return to the grappling scene at on August 19, 2019 at Polaris 11, taking on former Cage Warriors champion Paddy Pimblett in a - 77 kg nogi bout, winning the match by inside heel hook.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Ray made his promotional debut as a short notice replacement for an injured Jason Saggo against Marcin Bandel on 11 April 2015 at UFC Fight Night 64. Ray won the one-sided fight via TKO in the second round. Ray faced

Leonardo Mafra Leonardo Mafra Teixeira (born 25 April 1989), better known as Leonardo Mafra, is a Brazilian mixed martial artist currently competing in the Welterweight division. A professional competitor since 2010, he has fought for the UFC, Final Fight Ch ...

on 18 July 2015 at

UFC Fight Night 72 ''UFC Fight Night: Bisping vs. Leites'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 72'') was a mixed martial arts event held on 18 July 2015 at the OVO Hydro in Glasgow, Scotland. Background After previously hosting 15 events at various locations around ...

. He won the fight via TKO in the first round and earned a ''Performance of the Night'' bonus. Ray faced Mickael Lebout on 24 October 2015 at UFC Fight Night 76. He won the bout by unanimous decision. Ray was expected to face Jake Matthews on 8 July 2016 at The Ultimate Fighter 23 Finale. However, Ray pulled out of the fight in early June due to

visa Visa most commonly refers to: *Visa Inc., a US multinational financial and payment cards company ** Visa Debit card issued by the above company ** Visa Electron, a debit card ** Visa Plus, an interbank network *Travel visa, a document that allows ...

issues and was replaced by Kevin Lee. Ray next faced Alan Patrick on 24 September 2016 at

UFC Fight Night 95 The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...

. He lost the fight via unanimous decision. Ray faced Ross Pearson on 19 November 2016 at

UFC Fight Night 99 ''UFC Fight Night: Mousasi vs. Hall 2'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 99'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that was held on 19 November 2016 at The SSE Arena in Belfast, Northern Ireland Backgr ...

. He won the fight via split decision. Ray next faced

Joe Lauzon Joseph Edward Lauzon Jr. (born May 22, 1984) is an American professional mixed martial artist, competing in the UFC's Lightweight division. A well-rounded fighter, he has the fourth most post-fight bonus awards in UFC history, behind Donald Ce ...

on 22 April 2017 at

UFC Fight Night 108 ''UFC Fight Night: Swanson vs. Lobov'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 108'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship held on April 22, 2017, at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee. Background A feathe ...

. After taking a beating and coming close to being finished by Lauzon in the first round, Ray came back strong in the second and third rounds when Lauzon started to fade because of the energy he used in the first round. After a close fight, Ray was awarded a majority decision victory. Ray faced Paul Felder on 16 July 2017 at

UFC Fight Night 113 ''UFC Fight Night: Nelson vs. Ponzinibbio'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 113'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship held on July 16, 2017 at The SSE Hydro in Glasgow, Scotland. Background The event w ...

. He lost the fight by knockout in the first round after being dropped with a knee strike and subsequently finished off with a series of elbows, marking the first time he's been finished by strikes in his MMA career. The fight with Felder also marked the last fight of his prevailing contract with UFC. As the first bout of his new four-fight contract, Ray faced

Kajan Johnson Kajan Johnson (born April 21, 1984) is a retired Canadian mixed martial artist who most recently competed in the lightweight division of the UFC. A professional competitor since 2002, he is also known for competing '' The Ultimate Fighter Nations ...

on 17 March 2018 at UFC Fight Night 127. He lost the fight via split decision. Ray faced Jessin Ayari on 27 October 2018 at

UFC Fight Night 138 ''UFC Fight Night: Volkan vs. Smith'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 138'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that was held on October 27, 2018 at Avenir Centre in Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada. ...

He won the fight by controversial unanimous decision. Ray faced Leonardo Santos on 1 June 2019 at UFC Fight Night: Gustafsson vs. Smith. He lost the fight via knockout in the first round. Ray faced Michael Johnson at

UFC on ESPN+ 20 ''UFC Fight Night: Maia vs. Askren'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 162'' or '' UFC on ESPN+ 20'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on October 26, 2019 at Singapore Indoor Stadium in ...

on 26 October 2019. He won the fight via majority decision. Ray was expected to face Marc Diakiese on 21 March 2020 at UFC Fight Night: Woodley vs. Edwards. However, Ray was removed from the card in late-January for undisclosed reasons. Diakiese is expected to remain on the card against promotional newcomer Jai Herbert However, due to

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...

, the event was cancelled. On 21 September 2020 Ray announced his retirement from competing in MMA due to ongoing knee injuries. He would later reveal that his retirement was due to the UFC cutting him from the promotion due to turning down a fight due to visa issues stemming from prior legal problems, something which he claims the UFC was already aware of.

Professional Fighters League

In 2021, Ray came out of retirement and signed with

. Ray faced Alexander Martinez on April 20, 2022 at PFL 1. He lost the bout via unanimous decision. Ray faced

Anthony Pettis Anthony Paul Pettis (born January 27, 1987) is an American professional mixed martial artist. He is currently signed to the Professional Fighters League. Pettis formerly fought in the Welterweight, Lightweight, and Featherweight divisions of th ...

on June 24, 2022 at PFL 5. He won the bout in the second round via modified body triangle. Ray rematched

in the Semifinals of the Lightweight tournament on August 5, 2022 at PFL 7. Once again, Ray won the bout, this time via unanimous decision. Ray faced

Olivier Aubin-Mercier Olivier Aubin-Mercier (; born February 23, 1989) is a Canadian mixed martial artist who competes in the Lightweight division of the Professional Fighters League. He formerly competed for the UFC until October 2019 when he became a free agent. A pr ...

in the finals of the Lightweight tournament on November 25, 2022 at PFL 10. He lost the bout after being knocked out in the second round.

Championships and accomplishments

Mixed martial arts

Performance of the Night UFC Bonus Awards are three separate cash bonuses usually awarded to four fighters after each UFC event, based on internal decisions by UFC management. More/fewer bonuses have been awarded at some events, especially when no knockouts or submissions ...

(One time) vs.

**BAMMA British Lightweight Championship *

Cage Warriors Fighting Championship Cage Warriors (CW) is an Irish owned mixed martial arts promotion, based in London, England. The promotion was established in 2001 and staged its first MMA event in London in July, 2002. Many MMA stars have made their names under the Cage Warrio ...

**CWFC Lightweight Championship (Two times) **One successful title defence **CWFC 2013 Lightweight Tournament Winner *Total Combat **TC European Welterweight Championship *On Top Promotions **OTP 2011 Welterweight Tournament Runner-up *Scottish Fight Challenge **SFC Welterweight Championship **SFC Welterweight Tournament Winner *

Sherdog Sherdog is an American website devoted to the sport of mixed martial arts (MMA). It also has many forums and discussion pages on the many topics of MMA like records, promotions, etc. The site is a member of the CraveOnline network and provides MM ...

**2022 Submission of the Year

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu

*Scotia Cup **Scotia Cup 2011 white belt middleweight (under 82,3 kg/181 lbs) – 1st place **Scotia Cup 2012 blue belt medium-heavyweight (under 88,3 kg/194 lbs) – 1st place *Glasgow Open **Glasgow Open 2011 white belt medium-heavyweight (under 88,3 kg/194 lbs) – 1st place **Glasgow Open 2012 blue belt middleweight (under 82,3 kg/181 lbs) – 1st place *Edinburgh Open **Edinburgh Open 2019 purple belt middleweight division (under 82,3 kg/181 lbs) - 1st place

Submission Grappling

*Glasgow No Gi Open **Glasgow Open 2013 advanced middleweight division (under 82,3 kg/181 lbs) – 3rd place *Edinburgh Open **Edinburgh Open 2019 middleweight division (under 79,5 kg/175 lbs) - 1st place

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Loss , align=center, 25–11 ,

, KO (punch) , PFL 10 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 4:40 ,

New York City, New York New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

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, Submission (twister) , PFL 5 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 3:57 ,

Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,7 ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 23–10 , Alexander Martinez , Decision (unanimous) , PFL 1 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , Arlington, Texas, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 23–9 , Michael Johnson , Decision (majority) , UFC Fight Night: Maia vs. Askren , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Kallang Kallang is a planning area and residential town located in the Central Region of Singapore. Development of the town is centered around the Kallang River, the longest river in Singapore. Kallang Planning Area is bounded by Toa Payoh in the ...

, Singapore , , - , Loss , align=center, 22–9 , Leonardo Santos , KO (punch) , UFC Fight Night: Gustafsson vs. Smith , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:17 , Stockholm, Sweden , , - , Win , align=center, 22–8 , Jessin Ayari , Decision (unanimous) , UFC Fight Night: Volkan vs. Smith , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Moncton, New Brunswick Moncton (; ) is the most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of New Brunswick. Situated in the Petitcodiac River Valley, Moncton lies at the geographic centre of the The Maritimes, Maritime Provinces. The ...

, Canada , , - , Loss , align=center, 21–8 ,

, Decision (split) , UFC Fight Night: Werdum vs. Volkov , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

, England , , - , Loss , align=center, 21–7 , Paul Felder , KO (elbows) , UFC Fight Night: Nelson vs. Ponzinibbio , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:57 ,

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

, Scotland , , - , Win , align=center, 21–6 ,

, Decision (majority) , UFC Fight Night: Swanson vs. Lobov , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Nashville, Tennessee Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 20–6 , Ross Pearson , Decision (split) , UFC Fight Night: Mousasi vs. Hall 2 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Belfast Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingdom ...

, Northern Ireland , , - , Loss , align=center, 19–6 , Alan Patrick , Decision (unanimous) , UFC Fight Night: Cyborg vs. Lansberg , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Brasília Brasília (; ) is the federal capital of Brazil and seat of government of the Federal District. The city is located at the top of the Brazilian highlands in the country's Central-West region. It was founded by President Juscelino Kubitsche ...

, Brazil , , - , Win , align=center, 19–5 , Mickael Lebout , Decision (unanimous) , UFC Fight Night: Holohan vs. Smolka , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of the Wicklow Mountains range. At the 2016 c ...

, Ireland , , - , Win , align=center, 18–5 ,

, TKO (punches) , UFC Fight Night: Bisping vs. Leites , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:30 ,

, Scotland , , - , Win , align=center, 17–5 , Marcin Bandel , TKO (punches) , UFC Fight Night: Gonzaga vs. Cro Cop 2 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 1:35 ,

Kraków Kraków (), or Cracow, is the second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city dates back to the seventh century. Kraków was the official capital of Poland until 1596 ...

, Poland , , - , Win , align=center, 16–5 ,

Curt Warburton Curt Warburton (born 1981) is an English mixed martial artist from Coundon, County Durham. He formerly trained at Wolfslair MMA Academy in Liverpool, England. Mixed martial arts career Early career Warburton's most notable achievement in the do ...

, Submission (rear-naked choke) , Cage Warriors 73 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 2:00 ,

Newcastle upon Tyne Newcastle upon Tyne ( RP: , ), or simply Newcastle, is a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. The city is located on the River Tyne's northern bank and forms the largest part of the Tyneside built-up area. Newcastle is ...

, England , , - , Win , align=center, 15–5 ,

, Decision (split) , Cage Warriors 69: Super Saturday , , align=center, 5 , align=center, 5:00 , London, England , , - , Loss , align=center, 14–5 , Ivan Buchinger , Submission (rear-naked choke) , Cage Warriors 63 , , align=center, 4 , align=center, 3:43 ,

, Ireland , , - , Win , align=center, 14–4 , Sean Carter , Submission (rear-naked choke) , Cage Warriors 60 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:40 , London, England , , - , Win , align=center, 13–4 , Jason Ball , Decision (unanimous) , Cage Warriors 60 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 5:00 , London, England , , - , Loss , align=center, 12–4 ,

, Decision (unanimous) , BAMMA 12 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, England , , - , Win , align=center, 12–3 , Dale Hardiman , Decision (unanimous) , BAMMA 11 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands (county), West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1. ...

, England , , - , Win , align=center, 11–3 , Stu Barrs , TKO (punches) , Caledonian Combat 1: The Gathering , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 3:37 , Inverness, Scotland , , - , Win , align=center, 10–3 , Qasim Shafiq , Submission (armbar) , OTP: On Top 5 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:02 ,

, Scotland , , - , Loss , align=center, 9–3 , Assan Njie , Submission (guillotine choke) , Cage Warriors Fight Night 4 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 2:29 ,

Dubai Dubai (, ; ar, دبي, translit=Dubayy, , ) is the most populous city in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the capital of the Emirate of Dubai, the most populated of the 7 emirates of the United Arab Emirates.The Government and Politics of ...

, United Arab Emirates , , - , Win , align=center, 9–2 , Vaidas Valancius , Submission (rear-naked choke) , OTP: On Top 4 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:41 ,

, Scotland , , - , Win , align=center, 8–2 , John Quinn , KO (punches) , OTP: On Top 3 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:57 ,

, Scotland , , - , Loss , align=center, 7–2 , Nico Musoke , Submission (rear-naked choke) , OTP: On Top 2 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:56 ,

, Scotland , , - , Win , align=center, 7–1 , Merv Mulholland , Submission (triangle armbar) , OTP: On Top 2 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 4:59 ,

, Scotland , , - , Win , align=center, 6–1 , Scott Ward , TKO (punches) , Scottish Fight Challenge 4: Resolution , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 0:00 ,

Stirling Stirling (; sco, Stirlin; gd, Sruighlea ) is a city in central Scotland, northeast of Glasgow and north-west of Edinburgh. The market town, surrounded by rich farmland, grew up connecting the royal citadel, the medieval old town with its me ...

, Scotland , , - , Win , align=center, 5–1 , Davey Parker , Submission (arm-triangle choke) , Total Combat 39 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:14 ,

Durham Durham most commonly refers to: *Durham, England, a cathedral city and the county town of County Durham *County Durham, an English county * Durham County, North Carolina, a county in North Carolina, United States *Durham, North Carolina, a city in N ...

, England , , - , Loss , align=center, 4–1 , Dan Hope , Technical Submission (armbar) , Honour 4 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:00 ,

Aberdeen Aberdeen (; sco, Aiberdeen ; gd, Obar Dheathain ; la, Aberdonia) is a city in North East Scotland, and is the third most populous city in the country. Aberdeen is one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas (as Aberdeen City), and ...

, Scotland , , - , Win , align=center, 4–0 , Mark Young , Submission (heel hook) , Scottish Fight Challenge 3: Showdown , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:00 ,

, Scotland , , - , Win , align=center, 3–0 , Vincent del Guerra , Decision (unanimous) , Scottish Fight Challenge 3: Showdown , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, Scotland , , - , Win , align=center, 2–0 , Loic Marty , Submission (D'Arce choke) , Brawl at the Bay , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:00 , Fife, Scotland , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , Shaun Edmondson , KO (punch) , Scottish Fight Challenge 2: Retribution , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:54 ,

, Scotland ,

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Ray, Stevie Living people 1990 births Sportspeople from Kirkcaldy Lightweight mixed martial artists Welterweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing Muay Thai Mixed martial artists utilizing Brazilian jiu-jitsu Scottish male mixed martial artists Scottish male kickboxers Scottish Muay Thai practitioners Scottish practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu Ultimate Fighting Championship male fighters