Tag: stevie ray

MMA News’ Top 10 Finishes Of The Week (6/19 – 6/25)

Welcome to this week’s edition of MMA News’ Top 10 Finishes of the week! Every week there’s highlight-reel finishes all across the MMA world, and we’ve found some of the absolute best ones to showcase. Two weeks ago, we had a couple of spinning back fists, last week was all about head kicks, and now…

Continue Reading MMA News’ Top 10 Finishes Of The Week (6/19 – 6/25) at MMA News.

Welcome to this week’s edition of MMA News’ Top 10 Finishes of the week! Every week there’s highlight-reel finishes all across the MMA world, and we’ve found some of the absolute best ones to showcase.

Two weeks ago, we had a couple of spinning back fists, last week was all about head kicks, and now this week there’s a pair of stoppages via flying knee. There were also multiple knockouts during the week from huge overhand punches, but there was only so much room left on the list in between some unorthodox submissions and a few brutal kicks.

PFL and Bellator kick things off, but two finishes from Cage Warriors and impressive showings from a number of regional MMA promotions account for the rest of this week’s Top 10.

#10: Stevie Ray’s Brutal Body Lock

Submitting Anthony Pettis is a feat in and of itself, but the way Stevie Ray forced a tap from the former UFC champion was unconventional to say the least.

“Braveheart” picked up his first PFL victory and earned a spot in the promotion’s playoffs when he tightened a body lock on “Showtime” and cranked his torso for the victory.

#9: Magomed Magomedov Jumps Into The Semifinals

UFC veteran Enrique Barzola started his Bellator career with two victories, and “El Fuerte” seemed in control of a bantamweight tournament bout with Magomed Magomedov up until the fourth round.

Barzola had largely been able to match the Russian’s grappling until Magomedov jumped for a guillotine that forced the Peruvian to tap for the first time in his career.

#8: Rhys McKee Claims Cage Warriors Gold

Rhys McKee’s UFC run ended after 2 fights, but the 26-year-old returned to Cage Warriors and quickly found himself fighting for a title in the main event of Cage Warriors 140.

“Skeletor” starched Justin Burlinson with a left hand early in the third round before jumping over the cage to celebrate as the new Cage Warriors welterweight champion.

#7: Luan Santana’s Shutdown Switch-Kick

A welterweight matchup between Luan Santana and Indio Quintella seemed bound for the scorecards with only a few seconds remaining at Iron Man MMA 24 in Brazil.

Santana landed a brutal body kick just after the 10-second warning that folded Quintella and left him curled up on the mat even after the ref stepped in.

#6: Michael Tchamou’s Thunderous Right Hand

Michael Tchamou only needed 30 seconds to close things out in his middleweight bout with Glenn Irvine at Cage Warriors 140.

“Jaguar” was swinging big from the opening bell before he finally landed a right hand that put Irvine on his back and sent his mouthpiece flying.

#5: Jojo Rajkumari Swings For The Fences

Heavier weight classes are known for hitting the hardest, but Indian strawweight Jojo Rajkumari showed that isn’t always the case at Matrix Fight Night 9.

“Cobra Queen” darted forward with a wide left hand that put Mary Jane Buna stiff on the canvas just over 30 seconds into their fight.

#4: Vitaliy Ten Stays Patient

Officially listed as a rear-naked choke, Vitaliy Ten’s record doesn’t do justice to the submission win he scored late in his flyweight fight for Octagon League in Kazakhstan.

Ten used his legs to lock up Tursynbek Boranbaev’s arm and held it through over a minute of scrambling before snatching a choke to secure the finish.

#3: Alexandre Castro Takes Flight In Brazil

Brazilian featherweights Alexandre Castro and Elifrank Cariolano had a frenetic few seconds of action at Jungle Fight 108 before Castro put an end to things in brutal fashion.

Cariolano pressed forward before eating a counter shot that staggered him, which allowed Castro to land a flying knee that put Cariolano down and a follow-up punch that appeared to wake him back up.

#2: Diego Robledo Steps Up In Argentina

Castro may have gotten things done quickly with his flying knee, but Diego Robledo made sure Cristian Dominguez stayed down at CAM 11.

With just seconds left in the first round, Robledo leapt forward and landed a knee that put Dominguez in a heap against the cage.

#1: Aerdake Apaer’s Perfect Timing

It takes a lot to beat out two flying knee knockouts for the week’s top finish, but Aerdake Apaer managed to lock up the top spot with his performance at JCK MMA.

The welterweight landed a perfectly-timed spinning back kick less than 30 seconds into his fight with Yan Guoxu that floored his Chinese countryman.

What do you think of this week’s list? Are there any finishes you think should have made the cut that didn’t? What about ones you think should have been ranked higher or lower?

Continue Reading MMA News’ Top 10 Finishes Of The Week (6/19 – 6/25) at MMA News.

Exclusive | Stevie Ray Details Anthony Pettis Rematch, Hopes to Face Alex Martinez in PFL Playoff Finals

Stevie Ray Anthony Pettis rematchAfter an action-packed night of fights at PFL 5, Stevie Ray has moved on to the PFL playoffs, where he will face legend Anthony Pettis in a rematch. After his fight at PFL 5, Stevie Ray made the time to chat with us at LowKick MMA, discussing his finish over Pettis, the rematch, and how […]

Stevie Ray Anthony Pettis rematch

After an action-packed night of fights at PFL 5, Stevie Ray has moved on to the PFL playoffs, where he will face legend Anthony Pettis in a rematch.

After his fight at PFL 5, Stevie Ray made the time to chat with us at LowKick MMA, discussing his finish over Pettis, the rematch, and how he would like to face Alex Martinez in the final fight for the $1 million prize.

“There’s four guys in the tournament,” Stevie Ray began. “One’s beat me (Alex Martinez), and I’ve beat one of them as well (Anthony Pettis). Like I said, I do believe ring rust played a factor in the Martinez fight.”

“I also made some mistakes, like fight IQ and decisions. Like chasing the legs, took too long… Martinez is a good fighter, and he’s a really good guy as well. He’s a really nice guy. He’s one of those guys that, I may be being biased here but, I feel like if I fought him ten times, I’d beat him nine. And he’s obviously won the first one. He’s a good, tough fighter. But I feel maybe I gave the fight (the first one) away.”

Stevie Ray Details the Anthony Pettis Rematch, and PFL Playoffs

“I’ve got Pettis first. I’ve got to get through him again,” Stevie Ray continued. “I cannot look past him. That will be my main thing, just focusing on him. Because he’ll be wanting payback… So, the plan is to beat him again, which I believe I will. Then, I’d like to get my rematch with Martinez. Just to tick that one-off. But, yeah. I’d be happy with whoever.”

‘BraveHeart’ would continue on, talking about how happy he is in the PFL, despite him “spoiling the party,” by defeating Pettis at PFL 5. When asked if it gave him a chip on his shoulder, that PFL favored Pettis with promotional push, he’d say that it did a little.

“To start with I was going to say not really… But, yeah, I suppose a little bit. Because If you go and look on paper, at some of the guy’s I’ve beat, I feel like I’ve maybe not had the push maybe that I’ve deserved… But, hopefully, that’s not the case. Hopefully, that’s what I get now. Hopefully, I’ve kind of just unlocked it now… I said that to Ray (the owner of PFL) as well, I’m your new guy… I always come to fight, I always push for the finish.”

Stevie Ray finished Anthony Pettis via modified twister at PFL 5, but there’s no telling what happens when they rematch in the playoffs. Anthony Pettis is now 2-3 in his last five, and this rematch with ‘BraveHeart’ will no doubt be extremely pivotal.

Check out the full interview below!

What do you think happens when Anthony Pettis and Stevie Ray throw down for the second time?

Exclusive | Stevie Ray Talks Anthony Pettis Submission, Describes Modified Twister

Stevie Ray interview Anthony Pettis SubmissionAfter a stunning submission over Anthony Pettis, Scotland’s very own Stevie Ray stopped by to speak with us at LowKick MMA about the thrilling victory at PFL 5. There was some confusion on what the submission that finished Pettis precisely was, as it was such a rare and unique technique that even the commentators weren’t […]

Stevie Ray interview Anthony Pettis Submission

After a stunning submission over Anthony Pettis, Scotland’s very own Stevie Ray stopped by to speak with us at LowKick MMA about the thrilling victory at PFL 5.

There was some confusion on what the submission that finished Pettis precisely was, as it was such a rare and unique technique that even the commentators weren’t quite sure what it actually was. Thankfully, ‘Braveheart’ cleared that up for us.

“So, it’s a modified twister,” Stevie Ray clarified. “I land it in the gym a lot, it’s a move that I use… Last year I was on Polaris… I submitted another guy, Craig Ewers; a BJJ, and Judo blackbelt, and I got him with it… It was a little bit different because it’s the same from the body triangle with the leg on the inside, but when I did it with Craig Ewers, I done it a little bit more of the traditional way. Like I went under the head, and I’m side on, but it’s still from the body triangle.”

“So yeah, and the other way, again: is when they come up on top,” Ray continued. “And in MMA… they (the opponent) will try and come up on top more often because they’re thinking they’re coming up in a guard…”

Stevie Ray Talks About Planning the Anthony Pettis Submission, Almost Chose a Rear Naked Choke Instead

“It’s a legit move. I planned it. When I had his back, I knew he did that escape. So, at one point I was kind of a bit: ‘Should I let him do it? Should I try and rear-naked choke him?’ and then I was like, ‘You know what, I’m gonna let him come up, and give him it.’”

“Everyone at my gym Higher Level MMA, at home, as soon as I got the body triangle they knew that I was probably gonna hit that. Even though I’ve got to be a bit careful with it in the gym because it’s obviously a brutal submission, I’ve landed it a lot, on most of my training partners.”

Watch the full interview below:

Stevie Ray finished Anthony Pettis 3:57 into round two and proved that bettors were wrong to have him be such a sizable underdog leading into the fight. Now, ‘BraveHeart’ advances into the PFL playoffs, where he meets Anthony Pettis again for a rematch.

Do you think Stevie Ray will defeat Anthony Pettis in the rematch?

Watch: Stevie Ray Submits Anthony Pettis With Rare Modified Twister Submission At PFL 5

Stevie RayTwo former UFC fighters faced off on the main card of PFL 5, as Anthony ‘Showtime’ Pettis took on Scotland’s Stevie Ray. Pettis, a former UFC lightweight champion, went into the fight with Ray as a -200 betting favorite. However, Ray would pick up a massive upset victory in truly impressive fashion. The first round […]

Stevie Ray

Two former UFC fighters faced off on the main card of PFL 5, as Anthony ‘Showtime’ Pettis took on Scotland’s Stevie Ray.

Pettis, a former UFC lightweight champion, went into the fight with Ray as a -200 betting favorite. However, Ray would pick up a massive upset victory in truly impressive fashion.

The first round was a competitive affair, with Pettis attempting to put a stamp on it at the end with a typical ‘Showtime’ spinning kick.

However, in the second round, the fight would hit the canvas. Despite Pettis being in top positon, Stevie Ray was able to lock in a modified submission, which some are calling a twister and others a body lock. Regardless of its name, the unique submission attempt was successful and Anthony Pettis was forced to tap out.

This win secured Stevie Ray’s place in the PFL Playoffs, alongside Olivier Aubin Mercier, Alexander Martinez, and Anthony Pettis – who had already secured his place in the playoffs with a first-round finish over Myles Price, prior to the fight with Ray.

Stevie Ray was not the only underdog to pick up a big win at PFL 5

Despite Stevie Ray being priced by the bookies as a +250 underdog, his win was far from the biggest upset on the card.

Heavyweights Bruno Cappelozza and Renan Ferreira were both massive favorites to win their respective bouts. However, both men were handed shocks losses, as Matheus Scheffel and Klidson Abreu both ground out tough decision victories.

On the preliminary card, Juan Adams was also able to pick up an underdog victory, TKOing Sam Kei inside the difference.

Ex-UFC Fighter Details ‘Shady’ Tactics That Led To His Retirement

A former UFC fighter alleges his ex-promoter had operated in shady fashion at the end of his run. The fighter in question is Stevie Ray. Ray announced his retirement back in September 2020. At the time, Ray blamed knee injuries. As it turns out, there&…

A former UFC fighter alleges his ex-promoter had operated in shady fashion at the end of his run. The fighter in question is Stevie Ray. Ray announced his retirement back in September 2020. At the time, Ray blamed knee injuries. As it turns out, there’s more than meets the eye. During an interview with BJPenn.com, […]

Continue Reading Ex-UFC Fighter Details ‘Shady’ Tactics That Led To His Retirement at MMA News.

Stevie Ray Announces His Retirement From Fighting

Stevie RayUFC lightweight veteran Stevie Ray has called time on his 10-year fight career that has seen him compete on 32 occasions including 11 fights inside the UFC Octagon. He holds high-profile wins over the likes of Joe Lauzon, Ross Pearson, and Michael Johnson. Ray who was last seen in action at UFC Singapore in October […]

Stevie Ray

UFC lightweight veteran Stevie Ray has called time on his 10-year fight career that has seen him compete on 32 occasions including 11 fights inside the UFC Octagon. He holds high-profile wins over the likes of Joe Lauzon, Ross Pearson, and Michael Johnson.

Ray who was last seen in action at UFC Singapore in October 2019 when he beat Johnson via majority decision announced on Facebook Live that he was walking away from the sport due to ongoing health issues, he said.

“Basically I’m retiring from MMA because of my knee. There was options to maybe get an osteotomy surgery, which means cutting the bone and putting plates and stuff in, but some athletes never, ever return after that because it’s quite a big surgery. It’s around a year of rehab as well and just at this stage of my career I wasn’t wanting to go through that.

“It’s been crazy. Eleven to twelve years this has been my life. That’s it. Wake up, train everyday, and fight a few times a year. Even that didn’t work out the best either, I fought an average of two times a year. A while back when I lost to Felder, I opened up my own MMA gym, Braveheart MMA, and started coaching, and even that was a nightmare to coach and also fight. Pretty much without going into too much detail I’ve decided to retire due to health reasons. The knee, I can’t compete at the level that I fight at and still—and there’s loads of people that said to me I should maybe have just fought a few more fights for a paycheck, which sounds alright going in, but again when you’ve made a name for yourself and to go in and lose a fight just for a paycheck, to go in and possibly get knocked out because I’m not able to train, I didn’t think that would even be worth it.”

Ray explained that training for his last three fights had been tough and despite having three surgeries to fix his injured knee he was still unable to fully straight his left leg.

“Going back, before that, for my last three fights my knee’s been pretty badly damaged,” Ray said. “Those that train with me or are close to me know that I was having to spend a lot of days off training, icing my knee, when my opponent was probably training.

“It was f*cking with my head taking days off and not going into the fight as confident. A lot of stuff I wasn’t able to do. For example, really struggling to wrestle and throw any kicks, so I had to really adapt all of my training.”

Ray plans to remain in the sport coaching at his gym and potentially moving into MMA management.

“I’ve dedicated my whole life to it and it’s hard to enjoy your life when the only thing you’re doing is putting all your time into fighting,” Ray said. “But I’ve enjoyed it. I’ve seen loads of different countries with the UFC, I’ve fought in different places, I’ve loved MMA. It’s still gonna be a part of my whole life, obviously.” (Transcribed by MMA Fighting)

What is your favourite Stevie Ray fight?