Chris Avila is set to face an influencer as part of his next fight undercard Jake Paul vs. Anderson Silva. But he already has an opponent in mind with his close friend and colleague serving as his promoter.
During a media conference call on Wednesday, Avila revealed he’d previously been in talks to face multi-time boxing champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr., and he hopes to revisit that matchup under the banner of Nate Diaz’s new company, which was launched just before Diaz completed his UFC contract.
” I plan to get in the ring alongside a vet like Julio Cesar Chavez Jr,” Avila said on the phone to MMA Fighting. “Someone with whom I had been in discussions about fighting a while ago. Under the Real Fight banner, I’d like to be there. My team, the [Nick Diaz] army
Real Fight Inc. was the company Diaz founded to promote MMA, boxing, and submission grappling matches. Diaz wants his promoter license and it seems he has at least one matchup in his possession with Avila, teasing his fight with Chavez Jr
Chavez Jr., the son of legendary boxing champion Julio Cesar Chavez, holds a 53-6-1 record with one no-contest; he suffered a decision loss to Silva back in June 2021. Silva then carried that success forward to the fight against Paul.
As for Diaz, he will split his time between promoting events and working on his own fight career now that he’s a free agent.
Before he can compete for Diaz and Real Fight Inc, Avila first has to get through his upcoming opponent, Mikhail “Dr. Mike Varshavski, an internet celebrity and doctor who will make his professional debut Oct. 29.
While Avila is far more experienced in combat sports than his opponent (he has a lot of it), the 29-year old fighter from Stockton, Calif. doesn’t take the challenge lightly because he wants to win.
“No extra pressure,” Avila said. I take what you say very seriously. This fight is mine and I will win it. I also want to fight a good fight in the future and return to high-level competition. This guy is not being overlooked. I take him seriously
The novelty surrounding social influencers competing in combat sports has grown ever since Logan Paul and Jake Paul promoted events that attracted millions of viewers, earning them millions of dollars.
“Dr. Mike” is just one of the latest crossovers, but Avila had no problem accepting the fight regardless of his opponent’s experience.
Even as he hopes for a future fight with Chavez Jr., Avila isn’t opposed to another matchup against a social influencer down the road – as long as they sign the contract.
“It doesn’t even matter,” Avila said. “I’ve been fighting real fighters my whole career. I’ll fight anybody. It’s whatever. Whoever wants to fight me, what’s up. I ain’t tripping.”
