Joe Ray doesn’t just fight for a paycheck.
Away from the BKFC Squared Circle, Ray is a successful realtor and real estate investor. He’s also a well driller.
“I do a bit of everything,” Ray says with a chuckle heading into his fight Friday at BKFC 69 at Gas South Arena in Atlanta, LIVE worldwide on The BKFC App.
Although Ray certainly approaches his bouts as a professional, the former long-time MMA fighter is with BKFC for his love of combat and competition.
“I wish BKFC was around 10, 11 or 12 years ago — I would’ve never fought MMA,” he says. “Bare knuckle is how I started. We started in the backyards. I used to carry the gloves in my trunk and we used to box in the locker room at school and things like that. My hands have always been dangerous. This is home for me.
“This is easy for me. Fighting is easy if you put in the work.”
Ray is ready to put his hard work to good use on Friday when he battles Atlanta’s Dexter Carthon in BKFC’s hotly anticipated debut in Georgia. He’ll be looking to improve to 2-0 in his BKFC career against the hometown fighter Carthon.
Ray embraces the opportunity to once again enter “hostile territory.”
“My whole career has been in somebody else’s backyard,” the well-travelled Martinsville, VA product says.
“I’m used to hearing the boos, but it’s usually a standing ovation by the time the fight is over. I’m looking forward to it, actually — I feed off of that energy because I’m ready and I’ve put in the work to be here.”
