LONDON – The last time UFC lightweight Stevie Ray shared a mat with Kajan Johnson, it was three years ago in Montreal.

When they ran into each other at the host hotel this week for UFC Fight Night 127, it was the kind of pleasant conversation you’d expect from two colleagues bonded by sweat and reunited in a new locale.

Johnson (22-11-1 MMA, 3-1 UFC) spoke about his latest venture outside the cage, Project Spearhead, which aims to organize fighters so they can collectively bargain with the UFC. They found out they both used cannabidiol to ease the pain from hard training sessions.

They left talking about a beer after the fight. The banter wasn’t enough, however, to make Ray (21-7 MMA, 5-2 UFC) forget why they’d crossed paths in the first place. On Saturday, they would be locked in a cage, fighting for their jobs.

“At the end of the day, I’m going to try and knock his head off,” Ray told MMAjunkie in advance of his UFC Fight Pass-streamed bout at The O2 in London. “We’ll get a drink after and whatever maybe, but when the cage closes, I’m making sure I remember I want to kill this guy.”

Ray’s last trip to the cage, he almost forgot. His opponent, UFC commentator and fighter Paul Felder, had lost his father one week prior to training camp for their bout at UFC Fight Night 113. Ray’s sympathy dulled his violent impulses, and before he could snap out of it, Felder knocked him out with an elbow.

On top of that, Ray had gambled for a better contract with the UFC, fighting out his previous deal. With a loss, he sat inactive for the rest of this past year.

This time around, Ray vows no personal history will stand between him and victory.

“I’m making sure I’m going in there with this mindset that I’m going to try and kill you, and I’m looking to make a statement,” he said. “I’m letting my frustration out, these past seven months. Then after it, we can be friends again.”

For more on UFC Fight Night 127, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.