THE last time Stevie Ray faced a fighter on their own turf it was an occasion that would intimidate even the most battle-hardened mixed martial artist.
Last September, the Fife native travelled to Brazilian capital Brasilia for an Ultimate Fighting Championship bout with Alan Patrick and the reception was something he is unlikely to forget in a hurry.
“The Brazilians were all chanting in Portuguese . . . they wanted me to die,” the 27-year-old told Herald Sport.
Thankfully the local masses didn’t get their wish, although they did witness Ray falling to his first and only defeat in the UFC.
The setback didn’t knock the man nicknamed ‘Braveheart’ off his stride though, as he went on to see off the challenge of veteran Ross Pearson in Belfast two months later, a victory that brought his record to four wins and one loss ahead of Sunday’s showdown with Joe Lauzon in Nashville, Tennessee.
“Obviously I was disappointed to lose the fight in Brazil,” he explained. “I tried to take the positives. I came out uninjured, unscathed, I took literally no damage at all. The Brazilian just kind of lay on me, pinned me down, it’s part of the game.
“But it made me get back to the gym and I had quite a quick turnaround against – at the time – the best guy in the UK in Ross Pearson, a veteran of the UFC, and I got a big win over him.”
A big win it was, taking Ray one place above the Englishman to No.28 in the lightweight rankings. An added bonus was that with the fight being staged in Belfast, Ray was able to enjoy a friendlier welcome.
“I actually got a lot of cheers,” he said. “Turns out I’ve got a lot of Irish fans because I got cheered a lot more than Pearson – either that or they like the Scottish more than the English.”
Ray travels stateside for Fight Night 108 on Sunday, but he isn’t expecting a repeat of the Brazilian experience despite the 32-year-old Lauzon having home advantage and 11 years of experience competing in the UFC.
Although Ray is a relative newcomer in comparison, he doesn’t fear being put on the back foot by a baying home crowd again.
He explained: “I think the fans will be more neutral, they might cheer for him a bit more because he’s American but I think the fans are just more pumped that this is going to be a good fight, they like the match-up. Joe’s always an exciting fighter, but it doesn’t matter if there’s cheering for him or whatever, once that cage door shuts it doesn’t matter where the fight is, it’s just what happens inside it.”
The mere thought of a cage door slamming shut, locking you into hand-to-hand combat with an opponent intent on beating you into a pulp, would send most people running for the hills.
It’s therefore reassuring to hear Ray admit that nerves are bound to creep in before he steps into the Octagon once more on Sunday.
“I’m always going to be nervous when I go into the cage,” said the Kirkcaldy native.
“You’re going in to punch and kick someone in the face and they’re going to be doing that back to you, in front of millions of people watching all over the world.
“So the nerves are always there, it’s how you deal with them that matters. Every fighter gets nervous so if you’re going in there and you’re not, you obviously don’t want it as much you’re not bothered about the result.”
Although the threat posed by Lauzon this weekend will be foremost in Ray’s thoughts, he can’t help but look towards his ambition of breaking into the top 15 and the potential of competing at UFC Scotland in June.
The world’s biggest mixed martial arts promoter announced last month that a Fight Night event will be held in Glasgow on July 16, the second time the city will host a night after a sell-out success in 2015.
That experience proved to be one of the greatest moments of Ray’s journey so far, as he defeated Leonardo Mafra in front of a buoyant home crowd in only his second UFC appearance. With the line-up yet to be announced, Ray is hoping to see his name on the bill once more.
“When I fought at UFC Scotland the last time in 2015 it was probably one of the highlights of my career,” he said. “I got the £50,000 bonus as well for knockout of the night, it couldn’t have gone better. I get goose bumps even thinking about it – the fans going crazy – so I’m pumped for that and I’ll be hoping to get on that card.”
Watch Stevie in action at UFC Fight Night: Swanson v Lobov live on BT Sport on the morning of Sunday, April 23.
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