JAKARTA – Scottish mixed martial arts star Stevie Ray needs just one more win in his sensational comeback to claim the Rp14 billion prize.
Stevie Ray previously announced his retirement in 2020 after suffering a chronic knee injury following the biggest win of his UFC professional career against Michael Johnson.
He retired after doctors warned him that his days as a fighter were over. The warning made his struggle to become a professional fighter that had been running for more than a decade suddenly collapsed.
However, this year Ray managed to make a comeback by signing a contract with the Professional Fighters League (PFL). In this competition he managed to get past his opponents and reached the final round.
"I won the biggest fight of my career back then, beating Michael Johnson in Singapore and I signed a new four-fight contract with the UFC," he said.
"Then moments later, my career fell apart when I was told by the doctor that I would never be able to fight again and I was later released by the UFC."
In the PFL, the 32-year-old Ray lost his regular season opener. However, he managed to beat former UFC champion Anthony Pettis in his second bout.
His victory over Pettis then continued to the semifinals to get a ticket to the final round on August 5 yesterday. In the final party, Olivier Aubin-Mercier from Canada is waiting for Ray.
If he wins, Ray will become the first British MMA world champion since Michael Bisping. In addition, he is also entitled to take home a large prize of Rp. 14 billion.
"I did have an injury, but it shows what I have done even in the last year, I could have been treated better," he said.
"Here I am, I've just fought three times in four months and now I'm just one fight away from a million dollars and winning the world title. It's been like a rollercoaster for the last three years of my life," he added.
The PFL is the only MMA league format, consisting of two regular season games. Points are earned per win method before the top four in each class advance to the semifinal and final knockout stages.
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