MMA: Scotland’s Stevie Ray Announce Retirement After Defeat At PFL 6

• Stevie Ray retires after suffering defeat at PFL 6.

Stevie Ray has retired from MMA after losing to Clay Collard via stoppage at PFL 6 in Atlanta.

The Scotsman, 33, retires off the back of three defeats, but enjoyed the best spell of his career in 2022.

The lightweight opened the door to a farewell fight in the UK, but said he was “moving on to the next chapter of his life”.

“First time in my career I’ve lost three in a row so I think it’s time to move on from fighting,” he said.

“I’m happy with everything I’ve achieved over the years, beat some big names and fought all over the world on the biggest promotions in the world and made a few quid as well.

“Not bad for a lad from Kirkcaldy, Fife.”

‘Sometimes that’s how it goes’

Ray needed a stoppage win against 30-year-old Collard to secure a spot in the knockout rounds of the Professional Fighters League’s (PFL) tournament-style season after losing his opening-round fight in April.

The perpetual underdog, Ray enjoyed a good first round before running out of gas in the second.

Collard was able to capitalise on Ray’s fatigue and stunned him with a painful right hand to the body in the second round.

The shot lowered Ray’s defences and Collard fired off a flurry of lovely hooks to the head, causing Ray to crumble to the canvas.

A dazed Ray tried to fend off more punches with a leg lock attempt, but too many unanswered shots from Collard prompted the referee to stop the fight.

“Disappointed with my performance, sometimes that’s how it is. Felt really stiff, not letting my stuff go, froze up, burnt myself out a little hanging on the back in round one,” Ray said.

“I’m completely fine, body is healthy, no damage. Fair play to Collard, well done. I lost in the second round after winning the first round.”

From retirement to brink of world title glory

Ray will go down was one of the best fighters to come out of Scotland as MMA has rapidly grown in popularity in his homeland and elsewhere in the UK in the past 15 years.

Ray made his pro debut in 2010 for a Scottish promotion, just an hour away from where he grew up.

Since then, Ray has fought in Las Vegas, New York, Dubai, London, Poland, Canada, Singapore and Brazil for all the biggest promotions in the world, including a four-year spell in the UFC.

With 38 fights in his career, Ray retires with 25 wins and 13 losses.

Ray initially retired in 2020 after leaving the UFC, but an offer from the PFL convinced him to continue fighting.

That decision led to the most exciting run of Ray’s career as he upset all the odds to reach the final of PFL’s 2022 lightweight tournament.

Back-to-back wins over former UFC champion Anthony Pettis secured Ray a showdown with Olivier Aubin-Mercier in the final in November for the PFL lightweight world title.

Pettis was stopped in the second round and Ray revealed afterwards he was told his daughter Myla needed brain surgery just four weeks before the final, which was worth $1m in prize money for the winner.

In 2020 Myla was diagnosed with frontal lobe epilepsy after more than 700 seizures during a two-month period.

Ray paid a special tribute to his family in his retirement statement.

“I’m going to go home spend some time with my family,” he said.

“Myla is still in hospital on IV antibiotics so heading back there tomorrow, I arrive Sunday morning.”

He added: “Massive thanks to my wife Natalie Ray for allowing me to chase my dreams while she watched four of our kids full time.”