Joe Ray Record: 14-6-0

Growing pains and a return to form

The climb wasn't linear. Ray ran into back-to-back decision losses in Strikeforce, dropping bouts to Nah-shon Burrell in 2011 and the unbeaten Chris Spang later that year – reminders that his all-action style could be outpointed by disciplined opponents. He regrouped on the international circuit, and in 2012 added a second-round arm-triangle choke of Dustin West at XFC 18, demonstrating that his submission game had caught up to his striking.

Veteran scalps abroad

Ray spent the back half of his career as a dangerous traveling veteran across Asia and beyond. In 2014 he produced one of his signature performances, stopping former UFC welterweight Luigi Fioravanti with knees and punches in the first round at BattleGrounds MMA 5. On the same card he dropped a decision to the 38-8 grappling stalwart Brock Larson, a high-level test that underscored how often Ray fought up in class. He closed out his run with knockouts in Thailand and China, including a first-round TKO of the experienced Evasio D'Onofrio at Kunlun Fight MMA 15 in 2017.

Fighting style

Ray is a finisher through and through: 13 of his 14 wins came by stoppage – nine by knockout and four by submission – for a finish rate above 90 percent, with only a single decision victory on his ledger. His Muay Thai gives him sharp, fight-ending power in the clinch and at range, while his time at Tiger Muay Thai rounded out a submission arsenal capable of catching opponents on the mat. Notably, he was never finished by strikes or, with rare exception, on the canvas; five of his six defeats came by decision, suggesting an aggressive style that occasionally lost the patience battle against measured opponents but almost never broke.

Career highlights

• Knockout of a UFC veteran — stopped two-time UFC fighter Chad Reiner in Singapore, a breakout win that put him on the welterweight prospect map.
• 90-plus percent finish rate — 13 of his 14 victories came by knockout or submission, marking him as one of the division's purest finishers.
• Former UFC welterweight on his resume — halted ex-UFC fighter Luigi Fioravanti with first-round knees and punches at BattleGrounds MMA 5.