Stevie Ray thinks Anthony Pettis should ‘take a different path’

In an emotional post-fight interview, PFL world title contender Stevie Ray offered his thoughts on Anthony Pettis’ future in MMA.

One of the lightweights on his way to the PFL championship had some choice words for former UFC sensation Anthony “Showtime” Pettis (25-14). In his PFL playoffs post-fight interview, Stevie “Braveheart” narrated Ray (25-10). Fan-side MMA that he believes Pettis should look outside of combat in his career choice.

After Pettis lost to Ray twice in a row, resulting in a PFL record of 1-4, Pettis’ demise was the topic debate a lot in the mixed martial arts community. A former UFC champion, Pettis has had lackluster performances since entering the Professional Fighters League.

“He just lost his last two but for me it’s both… I’m sure he’s quite rich, he probably doesn’t need to fight. So he has children. I would say that maybe, maybe he should try to take a different path,” Ray said. “I mean, I’m sure he has his own promotion, he has his own management. He’s a pretty handsome guy. I’m sure he’s getting married in November, so yes, if anything, I probably did him a favor by hitting him.”

With career wins against numerous MMA veterans including Benson Henderson, Joe Lauzon, Stephen Thompson and Donald Cerrone, Pettis has earned the respect of fight fans over his 15-year career. However, on August 5th, it was another MMA veteran’s night to shine. Ray defeated Pettis by unanimous decision in the PFL playoffs, setting him up for the PFL Lightweight Championship and a shot at the $1 million prize.

Ray is moving up to 2-1 in the PFL and is looking to capitalize on his winning streak against “The Canadian Gangster” Olivier Aubin-Mercier (16-5) in the upcoming lightweight championship. Both fighters have solid résumés and the matchup is sure to produce exciting results. Ray and Aubin-Mercier are both almost the same age, height and reach. In addition, both fighters are very used to a prolonged ground war.

PFL Playoffs: Welterweights & Heavyweights takes place live from the Motorpoint Arena in Cardiff, Wales on Saturday 13th August 2022. Follow FanSided MMA for all your news and highlights.