Results Diaz vs. Masvidal: Chris Avila beats Anthony Pettis and wins by unanimous decision

It’s not always pretty, but Chris Avila always finds ways to win in the boxing ring.

This time, Avila defeated former UFC champion Anthony Pettis by peppering him with a steady dose of punches and putting pressure on him for all six rounds. In the end, the judges scored the fight 58-56, 59-55, and 59-55, with Avila being recognized for his sixth consecutive win in the boxing ring.

“They have to figure it out for themselves,” Avila said of his style, which always causes problems for his opponents. “I knew what I was going to do. I knew I was going to go out there and outbox him.”

In his second professional fight as a boxer, Pettis focused on staying more active at the beginning of the fight and showing quick feet, moving around the outside before diving inside for his combinations. This forced Avila to stalk him around the ring as he tried to close the distance and engage Pettis in a slugfest.

Although Avila has been active and victorious of late, he seems to have become comfortable with throwing a lot of punches, as Pettis actually set up his strikes with a bit more technical skill early on. Still, Avila landed powerful punches, including a stiff left hook late in the second round that turned Pettis’ head around.

Pettis’ initial activity seemed to follow him with each round, and Avila kept landing an overhand right that kept catching his opponent off guard. While it didn’t do much damage, Avila kept finding a target for the same punch.

In the classic style of his mentor Nate Diaz, Avila relied on his power and relentless pressure, leaving Pettis stuck in the mud in many exchanges. Avila seemed content to simply wear down Pettis round after round, as that strategy continued to work.

No one would mistake this for high-level boxing, but Avila was landing more and more punches while Pettis was really slowing down. The sold-out crowd at the Honda Center was also getting a little restless, which is usually the case when Avila and Pettis pick up the pace.

As time ran out in the final round, Avila began ramming his jab into Pettis’ face as the former UFC lightweight champion kept throwing wild hooks, perhaps looking for a knockout to evade the judges’ scorecards. The end never came, however, as Avila continued to dish out combinations and stalk Pettis until the final bell.

While it was far from a memorable fight, Avila did what he needed to do to knock out another big-name opponent and continue his winning streak. Avila was a mediocre MMA fighter at best, but he seems to have really found his rhythm in boxing, especially if he can continue to knock out former UFC athletes and social influencers as his specialty.