Pettis vs. Avila fight added to Diaz vs. Masvidal boxing card on June 1st

The former UFC champion is scheduled to face Nate Diaz vs. Jorge Masvidal on a boxing undercard card later this year.

Former UFC lightweight titleholder Anthony Pettis will face Diaz protégé Chris Avila at an event on June 1 at The Forum in Inglewood, Calif., sources told ESPN. The fight is a six-round deal for 175 pounds.

Pettis, 37, made his professional boxing debut in April 2023, defeating boxing legend Roy Jones Jr. by majority decision. Pettis, a Milwaukee native, is coming off a unanimous decision win over fellow former UFC lightweight champion Benson Henderson at Karate Combat in December 2023. He last fought in MMA in the PFL in 2022, but held the UFC lightweight belt from 2013 to 2015.

Avila, 31, is 5-1 as a professional boxer and has found success in the influencer genre. The Stockton, Calif., native has boxing victories over mixed martial artists Jeremy Stevens and Anthony Taylor, as well as influencers Paul Bamba and Mikhail “Dr. Mike” Varshavsky. There is. Avila is Diaz's longtime training partner from the Nick Diaz Academy.

Diaz and Masvidal fought for the UFC's iconic BMF at Madison Square Garden in New York in 2019, with Masvidal winning by TKO (doctor stoppage) following a cut from Diaz. The two had a rocky relationship before the match.