Highlights of Diaz vs. Masvidal: Chubby Pettis loses match against Avila

Anthony Pettis was just a little too slow and Chris Avila a little too slick in their preliminary bout on the Diaz vs. Masvidal: Last Man Standing card.

Avila defeated Pettis in six rounds, 58-56, 59-55 and 59-55. The longtime training partner of Nate Diaz was the more active fighter, attacking Pettis endlessly. None of this seemed to bother Pettis too much, but it did seem to dampen “Showtime’s” performance. And the solid footwork, glove defense and head movement? Avila simply outdid his opponent.

The 18,000 fans in attendance were not particularly impressed by the fight, which had the intensity of a sparring match (which cost $550,000). Both Avila and Pettis weighed 175 pounds, and the extra weight didn’t seem to help their speed or stamina. The fight fell into a predictable rut, prompting the crowd to boo on a semi-regular basis.

With this loss, Pettis is now 2-1 in his last three outings: Showtime shocked the world last year by defeating Roy Jones Jr. and then defeated Benson Henderson in a Karate Combat bout. He previously opted out of the 2022 PFL season after losing twice to Stevie Ray.

There were rumors that Pettis would fight Cedric Doumbe in the PFL, and the former UFC lightweight champion hinted at even tougher fights against higher-rated boxers. It will be interesting to see how that plays out after this uninspired loss.