MMA: Scotland's Stevie Ray to fight for world title after sensational victory over Anthony Pettis
MMA: Scotland's Stevie Ray to fight for world title after sensational victory over Anthony Pettis
06-08-2022 04:08 PM
Ammon News - Scotland's Stevie Ray will fight for a $1m prize after outpointing Anthony Pettis to secure a spot in the lightweight final of the Professional Fighters League (PFL).
Ray, 32, beat top-seed and former UFC champion Pettis for the second time in six weeks with a unanimous points decision.
Ray is the first British fighter to compete for the PFL's $1m (£828,328) prize and will face Canada's Olivier Aubin-Mercier for the world title on 25 November.
The victory is a huge moment for Ray, whose career has spanned 12 years with a five-year spell in the UFC.
It is the first time Ray has challenged for a major promotion's world title.
Ray again utilised his grappling skills against Pettis, controlling large parts of the fight but was unable to submit the American star as he did in June.
It is the 25th win of Ray's career and the Scot is now just one win away from becoming a lightweight champion and picking up the impressive prize money.
Manchester's Brendan Loughnane could join Ray in the final, albeit in the featherweight division, if he beats American contender Chris Wade.
Loughnane faces Wade on home soil in London on 20 August in the PFL's first show in the UK capital.
*BBC