Fresh out of a brief retirement, Stephen Rea is a solid member of the Professional Fighters League team.
Ray (25-13) will make his return to action in the main event of PFL Glasgow on Saturday, fighting on his home turf for the first time since 2017. Ray will face Lewis Long (20-7) at the Stadium on September 28th. OVO Hydro in Glasgow, Scotland. He spoke to the media Thursday about the happiness he feels as a member of the PFL roster and what he’s learned about himself coming back from injury and two retirements.
“I realized I had a lot of discipline. I noticed a big difference between me and other fighters,” Ray said. “I may be biased or big-headed, but if someone has had to deal with some of the issues I’ve had to deal with mentally and physically for the past 15 years, If so, [they would not
fare well]”
The 11-fight Ultimate Fighting Championship veteran was kicked off the roster despite a decision win over Michael Johnson in his last fight. Although it happened nearly five years ago, Ray still has to work with the Las Vegas-based organization.
“The UFC cut me, they basically cut me,” Ray explained. “They asked me to go as a free agent, but after the biggest win of my career they said my knee was bad, so they basically waived me. Then I went 7-7 at the highest level. I went back and forth, but it clearly proves them wrong. My knee was in pretty bad shape, so many people would have given up. Then I think it shows how much of a fighter I am.”
Ray hung up his gloves for the first time in 2020, stating that he was stepping away from the sport due to multiple injuries. A year later, the Scot signed a contract with the PFL and debuted at 155 pounds for the 2022 season. Ray earned a spot in the $1 million final thanks to his Twister win over Anthony Pettis in the regular season, which earned him “Submission of the Year” honors, and a decision victory in an instant rematch in the playoffs.
In the end, he fell short of Olivier Aubin-Mercier, but that didn’t hold him back in the PFL format. After failing to compete twice in 2023, he announced his retirement again, but he once again withdrew his retirement announcement and returned to competition. The fight with Long will be his first at 170 pounds since 2012, and he is very happy with his relationship with the PFL.
“It’s class, dude,” the Scot said of his organization. “I love what the PFL has done. After the UFC I retired angry and emotional and didn’t know what was going on. Eventually, the PFL story came out and they told me It’s a really great promotion.”
Now on a third straight losing streak in his career, the 34-year-old knows his back is against the wall and a third retirement might be the charm. Although he is not yet ready to end his competitive career, he expressed some interest in working for the PFL in a non-combat capacity when he officially announced his retirement from the sport.
“Even if this is my last game, whenever I get a job, I’d love to eventually do something for the PFL. I know Don [Davis] and peter [Murray]spoke more with Peter. But yeah, I love what they’re doing, which is giving up-and-coming fighters a chance. The fact that they’re putting on a show where they can get $100,000 at a show in Europe and maybe a million dollars, it’s amazing what they’re doing. I love it. I like to see another company rival the UFC, and we all know the UFC has done great things as well. It gives fighters a choice, and I feel like it used to be just the UFC, but now it’s fighters all over the world saying, ‘Hey, I’m going somewhere else.’ “I know,” Ray concluded.
