Stephen Rea will come out of retirement for a second time for the opportunity to fight in his home country.
Ray will face Lewis Long in the welterweight main event of PFL Europe at the OVO Hyde in Glasgow, Scotland on September 28. The promotion announced the booking on Tuesday. The card will mark the promotion’s first trip to Scotland and will also feature a 150-pound catchweight bout between Robert Whiteford and Roger Huerta in the co-main event that night. Additionally, the card will feature PFL Europe postseason bouts, with more Scottish athletes to be added in the coming weeks.
“We’re bringing an MMA spectacle to Glasgow this September that is set to be a truly memorable debut for the PFL in Scotland,” PFL Europe head of fighter operations Dan Hardy said in a release. “Glasgow is a city brimming with talent and we’re excited to fill the card with not only Europe’s best fighters, but also a focus on Scotland’s future MMA stars.”
Ray will return to MMA after announcing his second retirement in June 2023 following the conclusion of the PFL lightweight season. The 34-year-old Scotsman reached the PFL finals in 2022 with two wins over Anthony Pettis but ultimately lost to Olivier Aubin-Mercier in the championship match. ‘Braveheart announced his retirement in 2020, citing chronic knee issues, after going 7-4 with UFC. The former Cage Warriors champion went 0-2 in his 2023 PFL campaign, losing to Nathan Schulte and Clay Collard in lightweight bouts.
The 35-year-old Wales native has a career record of 20-7 while competing for organizations such as Bellator and Cage Warriors. After going 3-2 with Bellator from 2020-2022, Long returned to the ring in September of this year, submitting Ashley Griffith in 33 seconds in a regional bout.
