PFL 2022 Awards | Comeback of the Year

There was only ever going to be one contender for our “Comeback of the Year” in the PFL. Scotland’s Stevie Ray produced one of the best stories found anywhere in MMA this past 12 months. Whilst there is one fight in particular that earns him the award, the entire story of his year is the stuff movies are made out of. 

Stevie Ray’s announcement that he had signed with the PFL was enough of a comeback on its own and that was just the very start of the year. After achieving the biggest win of his UFC career against Michael Johnson, Ray was forced to retire from competition due to his injuries. After two and a half years away from the sport, ‘Braveheart’ returned with his PFL debut in the lightweight tournament. 

His debut on April 20th against Alexander Martinez didn’t go his way but it only made the eventual comeback even sweeter. Stevie Ray had a tough task ahead of him going into his second fight of the season. Facing Anthony Pettis, who competed in the UFC at the same time as Ray, was a tough draw for the Scotsman who needed a finish to advance.  

At PFL 5 in June, Ray produced one of the best finishes in PFL history. Not only did he beat a huge name in the sport, he finished him with the incredibly rare twister submission to book his place in the semi-finals. After coming back from what appeared to be the end of his professional career, Stevie lived up to his nickname by producing the biggest win of his career and fighting his way out when his back was against the wall. 

Ray followed up his spectacular submission with a second win over Anthony Pettis just over a month on from their first meeting. After losing his opening fight and needing a finish to make it out of the group stages, Scotland’s own found himself in the world championship final. Whilst he was unable to finish off the story book year by winning the tournament, it doesn’t change the fact that his road to Madison Square Garden was unforgettable.