Stevie Ray entered the Professional Fighters League (PFL) “Smart Cage” earlier today (Sat., Sept. 28, 2024) inside the OVO Hydro in Glasgow, Scotland knowing it would be the last fight of his career. And he walked out in impressive fashion.
Coming into his main event scrap against Lewis Long, Ray had lost three straight against Olivier Aubin-Mercier, Natan Schulte and Clay Collard, the longest losing streak of his 14-year mixed martial arts (MMA) career. But the pressure was not evident for Ray, who took the center of the cage like a man on a mission against a man looking to make a statement in his promotional debut.
After a back-and-forth first four minutes, Ray managed to take Long’s back once the fight hit the ground. With a minute left in the first round, Long attempted to turn around while he had his foe draped all over him with a body lock. That gave Ray the opening he needed to maneuver his way into latching on the “Scottish Twister,” which prompted “The Foot” to tap almost right away.
It was a storybook ending for Ray, who not only ends his losing streak, but ends his career on a high note in front of his family, friends and multitude of fans who were out to support the home country favorite.
This wasn’t the first time that “Braveheart” managed to execute the rare submission move, as he had previously pulled it off against former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Lightweight champion, Anthony Pettis, back in 2022 at PFL 5 (see it here), his first of two wins over “Showtime.” See that finish below:
Looks familiar huh? @StevenRayMMA https://t.co/fMb7JwquJ0 pic.twitter.com/ti9rb8K2Zi
— PFL (@PFLMMA) September 28, 2024
Now, the 34-year old combat veteran can ride off into the sunset in victory with one of the best finishes of 2024. He leaves the fight game with a 26-16 record, with seven of those wins coming inside the UFC Octagon.
For complete PFL Glasgow results and highlights click here.