Press Release: August 9, 2025 By Most Valuable Promotions - Chris Avila vs. Ariel Perez added to MVP Fight Night on Sat, Aug 23
ORLANDO, FL – August 8, 2025 – Most Valuable Promotions (MVP) today announced that combat sports icon and Team Nate Diaz mainstay Chris Avila (6-1) vs. Tampa, Florida’s undefeated Ariel “Golden Hulk” Perez (7-0, 4 KOs) will join the company’s upcoming MVP Fight Night on Saturday, August 23 at the Caribe Royale Resort in Orlando, Florida. Avila vs. Perez will be a 6-round light heavyweight bout at 175lbs to open the main card of MVP Fight Night, available globally on DAZN.
The event, which will have MVP superstars Jake Paul and Amanda Serrano in attendance, will also feature 4 world and interim world championship bouts, a WBA eliminator, and WBA regional title as part of MVP’s first back-2-back weekend featuring over 20 fights. Tickets are on sale now at Ticketmaster.
Real Fight Inc.’s Chris Avila (6-1), a veteran of both the UFC and Bellator, who made a transition to boxing full time in 2021, has made the walk for 21 professional fights and has never been stopped or hurt during his time in the cage and ring. Avila is a staple at the iconic Nick Diaz Academy and Real Fight Inc. in Stockton, CA and a regular training partner of Nate Diaz. After making the full time transition to boxing, Avila beat Anthony Taylor in a super middleweight boxing match in December 2021 and boasted clean sweeps against “Dr. Mike” Varshavski in October 2022 and Paul Bamba in April 2023. He was in the feature bout on Jake Paul vs. Nate Diaz in August 2023, where he swept Jeremy Stephens, winning by unanimous decision. He followed that up with wins over former UFC lightweight champion, Anthony Pettis in Anaheim and Jake Bostwick in Nashville. Now the 32-year-old Avila returns to the ring to face local favorite and rising light heavyweight prospect Ariel Perez.
“I’m here to fight on Saturday, August 23,” said Chris Avila. “I’m coming to win, get the job done and beat this dude’s ass.”
Tampa’s undefeated Ariel “Golden Hulk” Perez (7-0, 4 KOs) will make his fourth Most Valuable Promotions appearance on Saturday, August 23, facing his biggest test to date in Avila. The 33-year-old rising prospect first appeared on MVP’s Most Valuable Prospects 6 in April 2024, soundly defeating Steven Motley by fourth round TKO. Following the performance, Perez returned to face Dane Guerrero on the preliminary card of MVP’s Jake Paul vs. Mike Perry at Amalie Arena in July 2024, securing another big win by third-round knockout. He most recently earned his latest UD win over Mario Bedolla Orozco on MVP’s Most Valuable Prospects 12 in May 2025.
“Avila is a guy who likes to do the talking, but we just show up and go to work,” said Ariel Perez. “We do our talking in the ring. He’s tough and it’s going to be a hell of a fight, but WE HIT DIFFERENT.”
“The addition of Chris Avila vs. Ariel ‘Golden Hulk’ Perez further elevates an already stacked MVP Fight Night card,” said Jake Paul and Nakisa Bidarian, co-founders of Most Valuable Promotions. “Both fighters have delivered on the MVP stage before, and now face off in what promises to be a statement bout—with Avila representing the notoriety of Team Diaz, and Perez looking to rise to the occasion in front of his home state. With Team Diaz in the building, the energy in Orlando will be on another level. Saturday, August 23 marks MVP’s biggest non-Jake and Amanda event to date, featuring four WBA world and interim world title bouts, a WBA eliminator, and much more—all live globally on DAZN as part of our first MVP back-2-back weekend.”
MVP Fight Night will be headlined by MVP’s Puerto Rican Olympian and #1 WBA contender Yankiel Rivera (7-0, 3 KOs) vs. Angelino “Huracan” Cordova (19-0-1, 12 KOs) in a 12-round bout at 112 lbs for the WBA interim flyweight world title. The co-main event will feature WBA interim world champion Yoenis “El Bandolero” Tellez (10-0, 7 KOs) vs. #1 WBA contender and European super welterweight champion Abass Baraou (16-1, 9 KOs) in a 12-round WBA interim super welterweight world title fight at 154 lbs. Also on the main card, MVP’s new signee, WBA lightweight world champion Stephanie Han (10-0, 3 KOs), will defend her title in a 10-round women’s championship bout at 135lbs against 24-year-old Paulina Angel (7-1-2, 3 KOs), MVP’s undefeated #5-ranked WBA, #6-ranked IBF, #12-ranked WBC, and #14-ranked WBO lightweight contender with the most-awarded knockout of 2024, Canadian “Prince” Lucas Bahdi (19-0, 15 KOs) will face former WBA world champion Roger “The Kid” Gutierrez (29-6-1, 22 KOs) in a 12-round WBA elimination lightweight bout at 135 lbs, the winner to become the mandatory challenger to WBA lightweight world champion Gervonta “Tank” Davis. Rounding out the card will be a 10-round super lightweight bout at 140lbs between Puerto Rican standout Jamaine “The Technician” Ortiz (19-2-1, 9 KOs) vs. Calgary, Alberta, Canada’s powerhouse Steve “The Dragon” Claggett (39-8-2, 27 KOs) for the WBA Continental USA title.
Most Valuable Prospects 14 on Friday, August 22, will precede the Saturday, August 23, MVP Fight Night as part of MVP’s first back-2-back weekend. Most Valuable Prospects 14 will be headlined by a 10-round featherweight bout at 126lbs between MVP’s top-15 WBA and WBO contender, Puerto Rican Puerto Rican National Team star Jan Paul Rivera (12-0, 6 KOs) vs. Miami, Florida’s Daniel Bailey (15-2, 8 KOs). Most Valuable Prospects 14 will be available globally for free on both DAZN.com and the DAZN app with no subscription required. Tickets for Most Valuable Prospects 14 are on sale now at Ticketmaster.
MVP Fight Night is produced and marketed by MVP, promoted by MVP and Boxlab Promotions, and distributed globally by DAZN. CELSIUS Live Fit Essential Energy, maker of lifestyle energy drinks, is the exclusive energy drink sponsor of MVP. Fansly, TORKLAW, and Event Ticket Center will also sponsor the event.
For more information, follow on X via @MostVPromotions and @DAZNBoxing or on Instagram via @MostValuablePromotions and @DAZNBoxing.
About MVP
MVP was founded by Jake Paul and Nakisa Bidarian in 2021. With the mission to provide more creative control to fighters, MVP works to identify, grow, and maximize return for its own events and talent partners. One year into its inception, MVP was nominated as one of the prestigious Sports Breakthroughs of the Year in 2022 by Sports Business Journal. MVP have produced Jake Paul’s last six global pay-per-view events, including the recent Paul vs. Perry match. The promotion company also signed one of the most decorated Hispanic athletes of all time, Amanda Serrano in its first year. Serrano and MVP made history in April of 2022 when Serrano went head to head with Katie Taylor, marking the first female fight to headline at Madison Square Garden, earning a nomination for Event of The Year by Sports Business Journal. MVP made history again in November 2024 with Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson and Katie Taylor vs. Amanda Serrano 2, the first-ever live professional sports event on Netflix. MVP’s Paul vs. Tyson streamed live globally on Netflix and shattered records, becoming the most-streamed sporting event ever with 108 million live viewers globally. Co-founder Nakisa Bidarian was an executive producer of Paul vs. Tyson and the historic Triller Presents Mike Tyson v. Roy Jones Jr., which was the 8th most bought pay-per-view event in history.
About DAZN
DAZN is the home of European football, women’s football, boxing and MMA, and the NFL (excl. USA). We are building the ultimate sports entertainment platform, based on premium sports rights, world-leading tech, and multi-platform distribution. DAZN believes that fans from across the globe should be able to watch, read, bet, play, share, socialise, buy tickets and merchandise, all in one place, with one account, one wallet and on one app.
For more information on DAZN, our products, people, and performance, visit dazngroup.com.
Material Courtesy of: Most Valuable Promotions Used with permission.
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