ANAHEIM, Calif. – Chris Avila added a big name to his resume – possibly the biggest – on 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.
Avila (6-1), a longtime friend and training partner of Nate Diaz, accompanied his mentor into the ranks of the UFC but had a checkered MMA career before fully transitioning into the world of boxing.
Despite entering boxing as a mixed martial artist with a sub-.500 average rating, Avila continues to shock critics by piling up win 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 press conference. “All these haters that hate me and say a lot of nasty stuff in the comments and online can go fuck themselves.”
While Pettis (1-1) is a well-known name in combat sports, Avila believes a win over him is worth even more. Pettis defeated boxing legend Roy Jones in a 2023 fight, and Avila likes to use the transitive property in boxing math.
“It’s cool to win,” Avila said. “(Pettis) just got 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 against Mike Tyson? Either way, I feel like I got that win and got some credentials tonight. It was good.”
As for the future, Avila plans to continue boxing rather than returning to MMA, and if he gets his way, it will be big names’ turn from now on.
“I want big names,” Avila said. “Anthony Pettis was a good name, a big name. I want to fight winners. If something happened with Nate and Masvidal, I’d like to fight Masvidal next. But I only want to fight winners, so screw Masvidal.”
“…For now, I’m sticking with boxing. I’m serious about it. I’m serious about my career. I’ve won six fights in a row now. I want to fight real fighters and real boxers and big names. I want to get out there so I can reach the top.”
