Ex-UFC fighter who set up GoFundMe details horrific experience with daughter's illness 

In October of 2022, Stevie Ray, a former UFC fighter, and his wife, Natalie, who together have four children, received news that Myla, their 7-year-old daughter, had been suffering from epileptic seizures for quite some time. Medically intractable epilepsy is typically caused by focal cortical dysplasia, an abnormality of cortical development.

Myla, who will turn eight in May, was diagnosed with frontal lobe epilepsy after experiencing a "tonic-clonic" seizure in July 2019. Myla had her health restored by the medication, but the seizures returned, prompting her physicians to prescribe further medications with cascading consequences on her behavior, attitude, and exhaustion.

The former UFC fighter and his wife were told that their daughter's intractable epileptic seizures are the result of a cerebral developmental abnormality after a battery of tests and rounds at the hospital.

Stevie Ray and his wife have set up a GoFundMe page to help raise funds for their daughter's brain surgery, and they've already received donations of £10,000 from UFC boss Dana White and £15,000 from the PFL.

Detailing the horrific experience dealing with the trauma that his daughter had to endure to recover in a recent interview with STV News, Ray stated:

“When it first started, the multiple seizures, during the COVID pandemic, she started going really thin, you could see her ribs, she had bruises from head to toe because the seizure can happen at any point. Especially as she gets older and she has to deal with seizures her whole life, she’ll never be able to drive a car, I don’t think she’ll even go in the bath without somebody watching her."

Ray went on to express his gratitude to everyone who had helped him and his family during recent struggles, saying:

“I can’t really put it into words how thankful we are for the love and support that has been given – from celebrities to strangers to people who know Myla and people that know me and my wife, and people worldwide, so we are so thankful.”

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What is former UFC fighter Stevie Ray's record in the organization?

On April 11, 2015, at UFC Fight Night 64, Stevie Ray made his promotional debut as a last-minute replacement for the injured Jason Saggo against Marcin Bandel. Ray won the bout by knockout in the second round.

Ray went on to win two more bouts before succumbing to a unanimous decision loss to Alan Patrick in September 2016. Since that fight, he went on to compete seven more times under the UFC banner, losing three fights.

His overall UFC record stands at seven wins and four losses. Ray announced his retirement from MMA on September 21, 2020, due to persistent knee injuries. He would later disclose that his retirement was a result of the organization cutting him from the promotion after he declined a fight due to visa issues stemming from previous legal issues.