'Diehard' Celtic fan once jailed for fighting who became UFC star set for Hydro comeback

Stevie 'Braveheart' Ray followed in the footsteps of his Celtic heroes when he stepped onto the pitch during half-time of the 5-2 win over Falkirk at Parkhead on Sunday.

This weekend, the former UFC fighter will be at the Ovo Hydro performing in front of another big crowd when he makes his long-awaited return to MMA as the main headline at PFL Glasgow.

Ray, from Kirkcaldy, steps out of retirement for a second time to take on Welsh submission specialist Lewis Long in front of a home Scottish crowd at the same venue where he claimed a memorable UFC win over Leonardo Mafra in 2015.

The 34-year-old father-of-four has supported Celtic all his life and was invited along to the Premier Sports Cup quarter-final match as a special hospitality guest of the club.

Speaking to the Celtic Podcast, he recalled his favourite team and player growing up.

"I don't know if it's because I get punched in the head for a living but I can't remember too young," he said. "Between eight and 12 was probably when I was a diehard Celtic fan. It was when Henrik Larsson, my favourite player, Chris Sutton, John Hartson, Bobo Balde - that team was the highlight of my football career."

Ray's story is a remarkable one. He spent time in prison in his youth - "I was fighting for all the wrong reasons and getting into trouble" - before turning to mixed martial arts at the age of 19.

Stevie Ray during the Premier Sports Cup quarter-final match between Celtic and Falkirk. (Photo by Craig Foy / SNS Group) | SNS Group

It proved a life-changing decision as he quickly rose through the amateur ranks before turning professional with Cage Warriors and BAMMA, becoming lightweight champion in both. He then earned his big break in the Ultimate Fighting Championship under promoter Dana White, becoming just the second Scot to make the step after Robert Whiteford.

His UFC debut came when he accepted an offer to fight Marcin Bandel in Krakow, Poland at lightweight with just two weeks notice, despite being 16 kilos overweight.

"I basically had 15 days to go from 86kg to 70kg, which is two-and-a-half stone," Ray recalled. "I didn't think I could make that weight, but they offered me a four-fight contract so I decided to take it and try to get as close to the weight as I could. I starved myself for two weeks and ended up making it. I won the fight in the second round via TKO so it was worth it."

Ray went on to fight 11 times in the UFC, taking on big names in big events across the world including the USA, Brazil, Singapore and Sweden. He racked up seven wins and four losses before quitting the sport in 2020 due to knee injuries, only to return a year later to sign for the Professional Fighters League, where back-to-back victories over former UFC lightweight champion Anthony Petis were a career highlight.

Ray retired for a second time last year but is returning for a farewell bout against Long at the Ovo Hydro this Saturday. Tickets for the event are still available via ticketmaster.co.uk.