ANAHEIM, Calif. – Chris Avila notched a big name on his resume – quite possibly the biggest – Saturday when he defeated former UFC lightweight champion Anthony Pettis by unanimous decision in a six-round boxing match on the “Last Man Standing” main card.
A longtime friend and training partner of Nate Diaz, Avila (6-1) accompanied his mentor into the ranks of the UFC but endured inconsistent MMA career before he transitioned fully into the world of boxing.
While he entered boxing as a sub-.500 mixed martial artist, Avila continues to shake the critics as he racks up win and after win.
“I’m a real boxer, and a lot of people don’t know that,” Avila told MMA Junkie and other reporters at a post-fight news conference. “All those haters who hate on me and say a bunch of bad stuff in the comments and online can suck my d*ck.”
While Pettis (1-1) is a largely recognizable name in combat sports, Avila thinks a win over him is worth even more than that. Pettis defeated boxing legend Roy Jones in a match in 2023 and Avila is happy to use the transitive property when doing boxing math.
“It’s cool to get the win,” Avila said. “(Pettis) just came off a win over Roy Jones Jr., even though he’s 55 years old. But it’s still Roy Jones Jr. He won, or was it a draw over Mike Tyson? Anyway, I feel like I got that win (and) collected some credentials tonight. It was good.”
As for what’s next, Avila plans to continue going forward with boxing, rather than pivot back to MMA. It’s big names from here on out, if he gets his way.
“I want big names,” Avila said. “Anthony Pettis was a good name, big name. I want to fight winners. If something were to happen with Nate and Masvidal, I’d like to fight Masvidal next. But I only want to fight winners, so f*ck Masvidal.”
“… For right now, I’m going to stick with boxing. I take it seriously. I take my career seriously. I’m on a six-fight winning streak now. I want to fight real fighters and real boxers and big names. I want to get myself out there so I can reach the top.”
