Stevie Ray would jump at the opportunity to headline a PFL event in his home country of Scotland. All that’s needed is to convince the promotion.
It’s not a far-fetched proposal, with the organisation recently hosting shows in Wales and England during their first trip to the United Kingdom.
Stevie Ray (25-10) is coming off back-to-back victories over former UFC lightweight champion Anthony Pettis, which he believes are his biggest wins to date. Pettis possessed the big-name value, but more importantly, the victories resulted in the Scotsman’s being a PFL finalist and one fight away from winning $1 million.
Defeating Pettis back-to-back is an impressive achievement in itself. However, the significance of the two fights is much greater, considering Ray had called an end to his career in 2020 due to ongoing knee injuries. When asked to reflect on the wins, Ray said:
PFL Fighter Stevie Ray Reflects on Anthony Pettis Victories
“I’ve fought some big names before. He is the biggest name now, and I beat him twice. Sometimes it feels a bit surreal what I’ve done with my career, but yeah, I’m proud of it.”
When asked if a win in November over Olivier Aubin-Mercier would convince the PFL to put together a show in Scotland, Ray smiled and was assured the Scots would produce an electrifying atmosphere:
“Both times they came to Scotland, I won one of the times, and lost the other time, but both times were phenomenal when it came to the experience, the walkout, and how loud it was. It was amazing. I’m hoping that PFL will come next year.”
Canadian native Olivier Aubin-Mercier is the man that stands between Ray and the grand prize. When comparing skill sets, the 32-year-old humbly stated the pair were evenly matched.
“It’s one of those ones, were both quite the same skill set. We’re both good grapplers. We both hit hard. I wouldn’t say me or him have got advantages anywhere. I’d say we’re quite similar. If I was to say, I would say I probably hit harder than him, but I suppose you never know.”
The frantic schedule of the PFL has seen the Fife born compete three times in 2022. Previous to that, Ray hadn’t competed since his victory over Michael Johnson in 2019, which was inside the UFC.
On November 25th Ray seeks his 26th win as a professional, and possibly the most rewarding.
Stevie Ray Interview
Featured image credits to Embed from Getty Images
