Away from the top tier, times can be tough for those who make a living through prizefighting. With two young children and a third due any day, Ray was facing the biggest decision of his career: To pursue his UFC dream - or face up to the reality of financial hardship and go in a different direction.
“It was a lot of struggle,” he said. “I was on welfare getting benefits. I hated it. I tried to work. It was so stressful. The amount of times I couldn’t pay my rent, it was making me do stupid stuff.