Lightweight competitor Stevie Ray has found a lot of success under the UFC banner, holding a 5-2-0 record in the promotion (28-7-0 overall).
However, the fighter is no longer under contract with the UFC and he is in the midst of an agonizing wait to see what the promotion offers him in terms of a new deal.
“I definitely got a bit lost with the depression because I was just sitting in the house twiddling my thumbs and wondering what the hell am I going to do,” Ray told MMA Junkie. “The difference between now and a month ago is that I’m back training, trying to stay positive and push on through. It can be hard when you wake up and you’ve not got that drive because, just like everything in life, you need goals.”
Ray last competed at UFC Fight Night Glasgow and was knocked out by fellow lightweight Paul Felder.
The Felder fight was the last on his most recent UFC deal and the fighter is starting to wish he signed the deal offered to him prior to UFC Fight Night Glasgow.
“The thing is, I never thought it was a massive risk,” Ray said. “I just thought it was a case of me asking for a certain amount of money, then being told I would get it if I won the fight. I really thought that if I lost the fight, I’d get one (contract), but not as good. That was a risk I was willing to take. It’s not worked out, but now I’d honestly sign the contract they’d offered me before the Felder fight. I can’t know now what they’ll even offer me. I wasn’t trying to be an arse about the contract, and I was willing to fight for the money I felt I deserved. That’s what I tried to do for my family.”
If Ray and the UFC are unable to come to terms in a certain timeframe, then the fighter is able to pursue deals with other organizations.
