Scottish lightweight veteran Stevie Ray welcomed Michael Johnson back to the 155-pound division on Saturday in their co-main event match of UFC Fight Night 162 in Singapore, and fans were treated to quite a show.
The two fighters appeared evenly matched throughout the fight, but an overwhelming third round from Ray might have tipped the judges' scorecards in his favor as he escaped with a majority decision win. Two judges scored it 29-28 for Ray, while the third scored it a 28-28 draw.
Both fighters traded smooth, technical blows throughout the first round, but Johnson appeared to pull ahead in the second, throwing more variety and volume than Ray. In the third and final round, Ray went all-in and successfully brought the fight to canvas. He managed to take the back of Johnson and with two minutes to work, attempted to score a finish. Johnson, perhaps sensing he may have been up in the fight, seemed content to simply defend himself; but, in doing so, he ate a ton of unanswered punches that stopped only with the sound of the final horn.
It was a thrilling fight for fans, but Johnson clearly wasn't happy with the decision. It's an important lesson to never assume you know the score of a fight.
Stevie Ray (23-9) moves back into the win colum after suffering a KO loss to Leonardo Santos in June 2019. It was easily the biggest win of his career and he's hoping to fight a top 15 opponent next, although he didn't specifically mention any names. Meanwhile, Michael Johsnon, The Ultimate Fighter: Team GSP vs. Team Koscheck runner-up, has dropped two-straight and is now 19-14.