Former UFC sensation Stevie Ray is set to end his retirement next month when he makes his bare knuckle boxing debut in Glasgow

Scottish combat sports icon Stevie Ray admits that having the "buzz" to compete spurred him on to perform a stunning retirement U-turn.

Ray, an 11-fight UFC veteran, initially retired from MMA in 2020 due to ongoing knee injuries, but made a stunning comeback two years later. The Kirkcaldy native returned to MMA under the PFL banner, famously picking up back-to-back wins over former UFC champion Anthony Pettis.

But after three consecutive losses in the cage, the 36-year-old retired a second time, only to return two years ago - submitting Lewis Long in front of his home crowd. After calling it quits again, many assumed they'd seen the last of 'Braveheart.' However, the Scottish legend is set to return to fighting yet again - but this time without the gloves.

He is set to make his bare knuckle boxing debut on November 7 against BKFC veteran Danny Christie on home soil. When Ray first received word that the BKFC were coming to the Hydro, he was desperate to be a part of history. "I miss competing, and mostly because I've got bad knees, I struggle to still do MMA, but with the boxing or bare-knuckle in this case, I can still do that. So, kind of that, but also because they're coming to the Hydro," he exclusively revealed to Mirror Fighting.

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"My coach messaged me telling me. And then I was like, 'Are you telling me that for me to fight on it or...' And yeah, and then he replied with, 'How's the knees?' So, yeah. That's pretty much how it came about." Ray - who runs the Braveheart MMA Gym in his home town - had an itch he quite simply could not ignore.

His return to combat sports is merely for the love of the fight game. "I think it happens a lot with competitors, athletes, fighters. Like, we miss the buzz. So I do miss the buzz a bit. I miss competing, I miss having discipline... It's been a while since I've had to diet. So even like having the discipline to get in shape, to keep going, and also, obviously, the money. You know, I get paid well for fighting as well, so that's obviously a big factor as well," he admitted.

While Ray knows exactly what he's signed himself up for, he admits he's not really tuned into much of the promotion's showcases. "I didn't really watch any BKFC bare-knuckle. I've never really watched it. It's the same with MMA, when I got into MMA, I hadn't watched that either. I just knew I liked it. I know I like fighting, I know I like any sort of combat-kind of sport," he revealed.

The 36-year-old combat sports veteran had come to terms with the retirement life, but as BKFC heads to Glasgow for the first time, creating history with his friends and family watching is something that excites Ray. "As my last fight was obviously at the Hydro and my kids, my family, my mum, my wife, her gran and grandad, they were all there," he said.

"It was obviously a good ending and I would be happy just finishing on that, but to be honest, it's another chance at another good memory. I've always fancied doing something like boxing or bare-knuckle. I like to try stuff... you only live once. It's a good opportunity to be on BKFC Glasgow, the first time they've been to Glasgow. It'll be a historic event, I'd imagine.