There’s a serious aura to Stevie ‘Braveheart’ Ray as we discuss his latest fight assigned to him. He’ll take on Michael Johnson in around 9 weeks when they clash in the co-main event spot when the UFC visits Singapore on October 26.
Reflecting on his KO loss in his last bout against Leonardo Santos it’s clear Ray is not one to dwell on a bad result as he explained, “I feel like it’s just part of the fight game. One thing I need to focus on is paying attention more. I think I’ve been bad for like blinking as I’m throwing shots before. I kinda over extended, that was part of my plan to close the distance fast.”
His latest match up with an opponent also coming of a KO loss appears to present an opportunity for Ray to take a big scalp over a well regarded competitor. “When they gave me Michael Johnson I know that he’s been in there with some beasts,” he said. “It was only a couple of years ago that he beat Dustin Poirier who’s now fighting for the title in a couple of weeks. He was pretty much beating Khabib on the feet until Khabib decided to maul him.”
Ray is well aware of the pressure that lies ahead. This isn’t anything new for him in fact it’s business as usual as he said, “Obviously I’ve got stuff to lose it’s the last fight of my contract. It’s like do or die, pretty much what I do every fight anyway.”
You can listen to the full interview in this week’s episode of the WHOACAST, sponsored by The Prospect Apparel, you can obtain 20% off your purchase when you quote WHOA20 at the checkout. This WHOACAST features not just Stevie Ray but Bellator’s Chris Bungard and Rob Whiteford too. Plus, myself and Gina recap the weekends fights, #tittygate and more.