Despite claiming the biggest wins of his career in his last two outings over bona fide veterans Ross Pearson and Joe Lauzon, Ray’s stock seemed to be higher after his first two UFC fights against Marcin Bandel and Leonardo Marfa, whom he stopped inside the distance.
Mixed martial arts’ fan base appears to value stoppage victories over lesser opposition more than wins over established names, but Ray was confident that UFC’s top brass would appreciate the work he had put in when they sat down to discuss a new contract.
Yet, when the offer came in, Ray decided he would gamble and see his current agreement out.
“We got an offer, it was back and forth with my manager and UFC,” Ray explained. “It wasn’t really what I was looking for money-wise. After two big wins against two big names, I just felt like should have been a bit more.”
Another established name awaits Ray in front of his hometown fans in Glasgow on July 16. In a perfect world, Ray will put an exclamation mark on a win over Paul Felder, which he hopes would give him leverage should he return to the negotiating table with UFC.
“The perfect situation is going into the Glasgow event would getting the win and getting the ‘Performance of the Night’ bonus. After that UFC would offer me a decent contract with the right numbers.
“This will be my seventh fight for the UFC. So far I’m 5-1, and if I win against Paul Felder I’ll go to 6-1. I think it’s time for my contract to improve because to compete at this level it can be very stressful when you’re worrying about money and paying bills.
“I feel like I’ll have paid my dues to be put on good money after this fight.
“Does it make this fight more important? Of course, it does. Every fight is important, but because I’m going to look to sign a contract after this one, it makes it a little more important.”
And what if UFC doesn't offer Ray the terms he is looking for?
“If UFC doesn't want to offer me the money I’m going to have to listen to offers from different promotions. You’ve got to go where the money is at the end of the day.”
Regardless of where a win over Felder will put him in terms of negotiating, should Ray’s hand be raised it will open him up to challenges inside the UFC’s top 15 lightweight rankings.
“Braveheart” already believes his last two defeated opponents came away from fights against him with more money. If he is going to be mixing it up with fighters at the top of the division, he wants to be compensated adequately.
“There’s no way that my last two opponents got paid less than me, even though they lost the fights,” Ray said. “Those guys have built up to the money they’re on, they’ve both been in the UFC for a long time, but Joe and Ross definitely got paid more than me for losing.
“If I can prove myself again when I fight Felder, hopefully, that will open me up to the kind of money that they’re on. Maybe I should get even more than there on after beating them, but we’ll have to wait and see.
“This is fighting. We get paid to punch each other in the face. It’s a hard way to make a living. You should be at least able to enjoy yourself every now and again. It’s not the kind of thing you can do forever, so it would be nice to be able to invest something in my future if I was earning more money for fights too.”
In a sport with such devastating margins for success and failure, there is always great pressure on MMA proponents; and even more so when you’re competing under the biggest promotional banner in the world.
For Ray, knowing that his whole career is hinged on a victory in Glasgow is a source of motivation.
“All these little things help. Don’t get me wrong, I’m always able to get myself ready for a fight, but this is definitely an added motivation. This fight isn’t just about getting a win; my whole future is hanging in the balance here.
“It adds pressure just knowing that this fight is about more than getting the win. It gives me an added hunger to go out there and stop the guy that’s put in front of me.
“If I can beat Paul I’ll be looking at a top 15 opponent after that. I’ll be 6-1 in the UFC too. Hopefully, UFC gives me a contract that reflects the opposition I’m facing because it will be three high-profile wins in a row if I can get my hand raised in Glasgow.
“If I win, the next contract could see me through to title contention. I’ve got to keep the results coming. Hopefully, Dana will put his hand in his pocket!” he laughed.