Tag: Chris Avila

Chris Avila ‘collected some credentials’ against Anthony Pettis: ‘I’m a real boxer and a lot of people don’t know that’

Chris Avila continues to prove the doubters wrong – but just how good is he?

ANAHEIM, Calif. – [autotag]Chris Avila[/autotag] 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.”

Chris Avila upsets former UFC champ Anthony Pettis on scorecards in high-volume affair

Nate Diaz’s buddy scored a win over a big UFC name in a boxing match.

Stockton, Calif. was heavily represented Saturday at the “Last Man Standing” boxing event in Anaheim as [autotag]Chris Avila[/autotag] took one home for the city.

In a somewhat surprising result to many viewers, Avila (6-1) defeated former UFC lightweight champion [autotag]Anthony Pettis[/autotag] (1-1) via unanimous decision (58-56, 59-55, 59-55) in a six-round 175-pound affair on the main card of the Nate Diaz vs. Jorge Masvidal-headlined boxing event.

Avila utilized a high-volume attack, much similar to a Diaz, as pointed out by commentator Sean O’Malley on the broadcast. There were arm-punches galore, as Avila successfully implemented his unusual but effective approach.

Pettis hung in with Avila, but was unable to score much significant offense if any. Avila halted him on a multiple occasions with hooks that visibly threw Pettis out of rhythm.

The win for Avila was his sixth in a row since he lost his professional boxing debut in 2014. Avila also holds boxing wins over MMA notables Jeremy Stephens and Anthony Taylor.

Pettis has fought all over the combat sports world since his UFC departure in 2020. He remains under contract with PFL but also has competed in boxing and for Karate Combat.

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The up-to-the-minute Last Man Standing results include:

  • Chris Avila def. Anthony Pettis via unanimous decision (58-56, 59-55, 59-55)
  • Curmel Moton def. Nikolai Buzolin via TKO – Round 2, 1:39
  • Amado Vargas def. Sean Garcia via TKO – Round 6, 0:46
  • Devin Cushing def. Manuel Correa via unanimous decision (77-75, 78-74, 80-72)
  • Dan Hernandez def. Luciano Ramos via unanimous decision (38-36, 38-36, 39-37)
  • Luis Lopez def. Alan Sanchez via unanimous decision (77-75, 77-75, 77-75)
  • Gabriel Costa def. Steve Dunn via knockout – Round 2, 2:50
  • Bryce Logan def. Jose Aguayo via TKO – Round 3, 1:20
  • Ken Lopez def. Andres Martinez via unanimous decision (59-54, 59-54, 58-55)

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for Diaz vs. Masvidal 2.

Chris Avila def. Anthony Pettis at Diaz vs. Masvidal: Best photos

Check out these photos from Chris Avila vs. Anthony Pettis at the Nate Diaz vs. Jorge Masvidal boxing event in California.

Check out these photos from [autotag]Chris Avila[/autotag]’s unanimous decision boxing victory over [autotag]Anthony Pettis[/autotag] at Nate Diaz vs. Jorge Masvidal at Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif. (Photos by Esther Lin, Fanmio)

Photos: Nate Diaz vs. Jorge Masvidal Anaheim press conference

Check out these photos from the Nate Diaz vs. Jorge Masvidal boxing press conference in Anaheim, Calif.

Check out these photos from the [autotag]Nate Diaz[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Jorge Masvidal[/autotag] boxing press conference, which took place in Anaheim, Calif., ahead of the event taking place July 6. (Photos by Esther Lin, Fanmio)

Paul vs. Diaz medical suspensions: Jake Paul, Nate Diaz get 31 days each

The Texas commission has released a list of medical suspensions following the Jake Paul vs. Nate Diaz event in Dallas.

Paul vs. Diaz took place this past Saturday at American Airlines Center in Dallas, featuring nine boxing bouts.

In the main event, YouTuber-turned-boxer [autotag]Jake Paul[/autotag] defeated former UFC title challenger, [autotag]Nate Diaz[/autotag], by winning a unanimous decision after a hard-fought 10 rounds of action.

After the event, the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation issued medical suspensions to all 18 fighters. MMA Junkie acquired the list from the commissioning body Monday. The list included suspension duration without specifics.

One fighter, William Silva, who was the only athlete to be stopped inside the distance with his fourth-round knockout loss to Ashton Sylve, received the longest suspension of all.

Scroll below to see the medical suspensions handed out to each fighter. Fighters may return to competition sooner than the allotted suspension if they are cleared by a doctor.

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Jake Paul vs. Nate Diaz: Live blog, results from boxing event in Dallas

MMA Junkie is on scene and reporting live from the Jake Paul vs. Nate Diaz event in Dallas, and you can follow along here.

DALLAS – MMA Junkie is on the scene and reporting live from tonight’s boxing event headlined by [autotag]Jake Paul[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Nate Diaz[/autotag].

Former UFC superstar Diaz and YouTuber-turned-boxer Paul will meet in a 185-pound boxing grudge match after a heated build that saw both camps get into a brawl during fight week. The nine-fight card at American Airlines Center also features an undisputed featherweight title bout as champion [autotag]Amanda Serrano[/autotag] meets [autotag]Heather Hardy[/autotag] for the second time. UFC veterans [autotag]Jeremy Stephens[/autotag] and [autotag]Chris Avila[/autotag] also clash on the main card.

The event begins with preliminary bouts at 6:30 p.m. ET, and the DAZN/ESPN+ pay-per-view main card kicks off at 9 p.m. ET. Keep it locked here for up-to-the-minute results and behind-the-scenes updates throughout the evening.

For complete coverage of the card, check out MMA Junkie’s event page for Paul vs. Diaz.

Chris Avila not thrown off by Nate Diaz vs. Jake Paul press conference brawl: ‘I’m down for whatever’

Chris Avila keeping focus on Jeremy Stephens after brawl at the Nate Diaz vs. Jake Paul presser.

DALLAS – [autotag]Chris Avila[/autotag] is game for it all.

The former UFC and former Bellator fighter saw his team involved in a scuffle at Thursday’s press conference in the lead up for Saturday’s Nate Diaz vs Jake Paul boxing event, and he was not shook one bit by it.

“I’m down for whatever, but I’m focused 100 percent on my fight, and I also got my homie’s backs,” Avila said in a media scrum after the press conference brawl. “So whatever is going to happen, whatever pops off, I’m ready for it all. But I’m focused on my fight, and I’m working like I should. I got to do what I got to do to be ready to fight and make my weight and do my job on Saturday.”

Avila promises he is not distracted and fully focused on his fight. He takes on former UFC veteran Jeremy Stephens in an eight-round bout at 168 pounds.

You can watch Avila’s scrum in the video above.

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For more on the matchup, visit MMA Junkie’s hub for Paul vs. Diaz.

Chris Avila wants to see how far he can take it in boxing: ‘It’s going to be hard for anyone to stop me’

Chris Avila plans on putting his focus on boxing right now.

DALLAS – [autotag]Chris Avila[/autotag] plans on putting his focus on boxing right now.

Avila takes on Jeremy Stephens in an eight-round bout at 168 pounds on the card headlined by Jake Paul vs. Nate Diaz on Saturday in Dallas.

Competing in both MMA and boxing, Diaz’s teammate Avila currently seeks bigger opportunities in boxing.

“They’re both not fun, but I would say MMA is a little harder than everything else you’ve got to train for,” Avila said. “Boxing, you’ve just got one art to do besides the running and the road work and stuff like that. But you ain’t got to worry about kicks, takedowns, elbows and knees.

“It’s a cool little break for right now. … I’m going to see how far I can take it in the boxing ring. I’m going to try and fight the best guys that I can right now, the biggest names – boxers, MMA guys, UFC … I want everybody. So one fight at a time, and that’s what I’m coming with.”

You can watch Avila’s interview at Wednesday’s open workout in the video above.

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For more on the matchup, visit MMA Junkie’s hub for Paul vs. Diaz.

Jeremy Stephens not chasing KO vs. Chris Avila: ‘I’m just looking to beat this motherf*cker’s ass all rounds’

Jeremy Stephens loves a knockout, but he hopes to punish Chris Avila throughout the fight.

DALLAS – [autotag]Jeremy Stephens[/autotag] loves a knockout, but he hopes to punish [autotag]Chris Avila[/autotag] throughout the fight.

Stephens meets Avila in an eight-round bout at 168 pounds on the card headlined by Jake Paul vs. Nate Diaz on Saturday in Dallas.

“I’m just looking to beat this motherf*cker’s ass all rounds,” Stephens said during Wednesday’s open workout scrum. “I don’t want the knockout. I want to beat him up.”

Stephens, who made his boxing debut in a majority draw vs. fellow UFC alum Jose Aldo in April, isn’t sure if boxing is the direction he’ll continue to go, but is enjoying the journey.

“I’m having a lot of fun right now. I’m enjoying it,” Stephens said. “This is an opportunity on the table for me and my family. I’m a diverse fighter. I can fight martial arts, I can fight Jeet Kune Do, boxing, you name it. I’m a prize fighter. I’m just in love with this process of boxing, and the pay, the excitement, the big eyes.

“I manifested this after I fought Aldo. I was like, ‘Man, if Jake Paul or Diaz drops out, I’m going to be that guy calling every – I don’t even know who the f*ck to call, but I’m going to be calling somebody to put me on that card.’ So, I manifested this, and here I am.”

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For more on the matchup, visit MMA Junkie’s hub for Paul vs. Diaz.

UFC veterans in MMA and boxing action Aug. 4-5

Check out which veterans of the UFC are in combat sports action across the globe this weekend.

This week, the UFC takes the show to Nashville for UFC on ESPN 50.

The event at Bridgestone Arena features a big bantamweight bout between [autotag]Cory Sandhagen[/autotag] and [autotag]Rob Font[/autotag].

Elsewhere, many other combat sports events are taking place that feature a number of familiar names that have competed under the UFC banner.

Check out which veterans of the global MMA leader are competing in MMA and boxing this week from Aug. 4-5.

Check out the names and details about their bouts below.

Upcoming event information from Tapology.