Social media frustrated over "embarrassing" display as ex-UFC champion Anthony Pettis loses decision to Chris Avila

Nate Diaz's teammate Chris Avila picked up his sixth professional boxing victory over Anthony Pettis in their recently concluded bout.

Avila's pressure and offbeat fighting style posed a challenge to Pettis. The Stockton native invested early in the body and kept the pressure throughout the rest of the fight. Pettis had his moments in the later rounds, but Avila continued to smother his rival with punches. Avila countered his opponent's occasional offense with volume.

When the tens and nines were tallied, it was Avila who walked away with his sixth straight victory with unanimous decision scores of 58-56, 59-55, and 59-55.

However, the bout was viewed as a subpar contest by several fans who took to X to share their thoughts. One fan wrote:

"I’ve experienced bouts of diarrhea more enjoyable than the Chris Avila and Anthony Pettis fight."

Check out the tweet below:

Former UFC lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez wrote:

"Neither of these guys can bust a grape... Take the gloves off them and get this mess over with already."

Dillon Danis wrote:

"Actually embarrassing how bad these guys are. SMH."

Check out some of the reactions below:

Fans react to Chris Avila vs. Anthony Pettis [Images courtesy: @stacheglasspod on X]

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Will Anthony Pettis compete in an MMA fight again?

Former UFC lightweight champion Anthony Pettis hasn't competed in an MMA fight since the unanimous decision loss to Stevie Ray on the PFL 7 card in August 2022.

Meanwhile, 'Showtime' has been expanding his combat sports competition experience by competing against Benson Henderson at Karate Combat 43 and boxing the likes of Roy Jones Jr. Banking on the success of the victories over Henderson and Jones Jr., Pettis took on Chris Avila on July 6, 2024, at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California. He lost the fight via unanimous decision.

However, before the encounter, Pettis claimed that he would compete in MMA again and asserted that he would "surprise" everyone with refined boxing skills. Speaking in an interview with MMA Fighting, Pettis stated:

“I’ve always had a love for boxing but I could never just focus on the hands because of MMA. My kicks were always my strength. I think when I come back to MMA, I’ll surprise everybody with how good my hands have gotten, my inside game, and just sh*t I’ve picked up just using my hands for the last two years."

He added:

"I’m not done in MMA. I’ll probably do a couple more fights, a couple more years of MMA fights. I don’t think I’m going to chase a belt but the right fights, the right people, the right opponent, yes, I’m definitely still game.”