Unfortunately, UFC lightweight Stevie Ray is forced to hang up the gloves for good.
After fighting professionally for nearly ten years, the 30-year-old announced Monday on a Facebook post that he’s retiring from any in-ring action due to major knee issues. Ray last fought Michael Johnson at UFC on ESPN+ 20, beating the veteran via majority decision.
This was arguably the biggest win in his UFC career, though his impressive victories over Marcin Bandel, Ross Pearson, and Joe Lauzon also put the lightweight division on notice. Ray is a former two-time Cage Warriors FC Lightweight Champion.
During the video, the veteran explains that after he beat Johnson, he signed a four-fight deal with the promotion; however, Ray’s knee continued to be an issue since his bout against Johnson last October. The lightweight was originally set to fight in March, but he had to pull out of his potential bout due to his arthritic left knee.
Earlier this year, the fighter detailed the on-going issues with his knee, “Since October I’ve had a bad knee. It’s been swollen and I’ve not been able to train properly.” Ray said on FifeToday. “If it had been a tear I could have got it fixed and got back to normal but arthritis is there forever. It’s the bone obviously so I’m in constant pain when I’m training, but it’s more the after effects.”
The MMA veteran ends his career with 23 wins and 9 losses. Ray does plan on continuing to remain in the MMA world as a coach of his gym, Braveheart MMA, in Kirkcaldy, Scotland.