MMA fighter Chris Avila aims for larger bouts following his victory over Jeremy Stephens, and has expressed interest in a match with ex-UFC champion Anthony Pettis, who witnessed Avila’s recent triumph and is also transitioning into boxing.
Chris Avila is setting his goals on bigger battles after securing a remarkable win over Jeremy Stephens in the Jake Paul vs. Nate Diaz bout. His triumphant victory comes as his fourth straight win since transiting fully into boxing full time. As he scoured the front row audience at Dallas’ American Airlines Center, Avila spotted potential next adversary who coincidentally was present at the event.
Former UFC champion, Anthony Pettis, was in attendance that Saturday night, capturing Avila’s attention as he stepped out of the ring. In a self-reflection shared during The MMA Hour session, Avila stated “I called out [Anthony] Pettis — I didn’t call him out, but I mentioned his name.” He further spoke of his desire to take on a fight with Pettis before the year ends, remarking “Why not? He just came off a boxing fight with Roy Jones Jr. I’ve been boxing. He’s getting into boxing. He’s a vet. He’s a f****** OG. I know he fought Jeremy Stephens, too.”
Back in April, Pettis had earned a majority decision victory over Jones in his pro boxing debut following a 1-4 performance in the PFL. Despite Pettis not publicly declaring his intent to continue boxing or possibly re-engaging in MMA, Avila firmly believes it would make an excellent matchup. Pettis has lately been promoting his own events and with Avila supported by Nate Diaz’s Real Fight Inc., the stakes for the matchup are definitely high.
Avila certainly is relishing the shift to boxing, having defeated several veteran fighters such as Stephens, Anthony Taylor, and Paul Bamba and also securing a win against Youtube celebrity Dr. Mike Varshavski. While he can undoubtedly step up his game by taking on experienced boxers, Avila doesn’t see a reason to sacrifice bigger bouts against famed names. Regarding future boxing plans, Avila is staunchly focused on his boxing career for the moment, though he is open to an eventual return to MMA. His vision is clearly stated, “I’m going to keep smoking people in boxing. I’m trying to get the biggest fights that I can. I’ll just keep taking guys out one by one, one fight at a time. I’m not going to stop boxing. I’m going to keep boxing, and eventually when it’s time, I’m going to get back in the cage.”