PFL Exclusive: Stevie Ray believes he would ‘finish’ Paddy ‘The Baddy’ Pimblett for a second time
- Seb Sternik
- 12 October 2022
PFL Lightweight championship contender Stevie Ray is confident he could ‘finish’ UFC’s Paddy Pimblett if the two were to meet inside the cage.
Ray currently has his sights set on November's PFL final. The Scot will take on Olivier Aubin-Mercier in New York for a chance to claim $1million in prize money and the lightweight title.
The 32-year-old returned to the sport in 2022 and won successive fights against Anthony Pettis to book his spot in the final.
Before his temporary retirement in 2019, Ray took part in the Polaris Professional Jiu Jitsu Invitational.
The Scot came up against current UFC sensation Paddy Pimblett, and enjoyed a submission victory in the welterweight division.
Since then, Pimblett has gone on to become one of the most popular figures in the sport of MMA.
The 27-year-old won all three of his bouts in the UFC, including two in London in-front of capacity crowds.
"Paddy always had that polarizing personality," Ray told Planet Sport when asked about his counterpart. "Even through Cage Warriors he was pretty big. In the UK he had that good fan base and he's been backing it up.
"He's gone 3-0 in the UFC. The tougher fights are going to come. Saying that, the UFC will probably be smart and give him stylistically good fights to build him up.
"But yeah, he's been doing well, so fair play to him."
Stevie Ray is a Wizard on the Ground! $PFL Token holders can vote for @StevenRayMMA as your Fan Favorite Finish for the 2nd half of the PFL Regular Season on https://t.co/UaOoQw6GCJ
— PFL (@PFLMMA) July 28, 2022
Voting ends July 29th@SociosFighting | @sociosusa pic.twitter.com/zvcBGFJDPn
When asked whether he would ever consider taking on Pimblett in a cross-promotional event, he said: "Yes, of course I would fight him. I'd fight him and I believe I'd finish him as well. Either knock him out or submit him again.
"It's hard to say, he's with the UFC and I'm with the PFL. But not being cocky… I believe in my skills, I felt way stronger than him when I grappled him. Eventually submitted him.
"I feel like I've got better striking than him so if I were to fight him, I think it would be a good win for me."
Before considering future opponents, Ray is firmly focused on the task at hand.
The Scot has a chance to become the first Scottish world champion at a major MMA organisation.
Ray's bout with Aubin-Mercier on November 25 at the Hulu Theatre in Madison Square Garden, New York.
