Scotland’s Stevie Ray came into his fight against Joe Lauzon at UFC Nashville knowing it was his biggest career outing to date. Ray knew he was in for a hard night, but could never have predicted the first round he would endure.
Early in the first, “Braveheart” threw a kick, and it was caught. Lauzon got the takedown, and for the remaining four and a bit minutes, landed shot after shot on Ray. He had the back, was in mount, landed punches, elbows, and much more. Somehow, Ray survived, but the round went to Lauzon, and was scored as a 10-8.
Coming into the second round, Ray knew it was a mistake to throw kicks, but did it anyway; fortunately, he managed to get back to his feet not too long after the takedown was scored by Lauzon. Ray didn’t come close to finishing the fight, but it was clear that he had sealed the round.
It all boiled down to the third round, and both men knew. Lauzon admitted to his corner in between rounds that he was tired, and it showed in the final frame. The American scored a takedown early, but Ray was back up straight away, and then got to work. The Scottish fighter was winning the third round, and as Lauzon’s gas tank emptied, Ray landed more and more.
The majority of viewers scored the third round 10-8 to Ray, meaning both men had scored a 10-8 round in the fight. The scorecards were read out, and as many expected, Ray was announced the winner. A majority decision with scorecards of 28-27, 29-27, 28-28.
