Nate Diaz protege Chris Avila added to Bellator 238

The Diaz brothers have kept a close, tight-knit circle over the years.

Among the crew is lightweight fighter Chris Avila. A multiple-time UFC and Bellator veteran, Avila (7-8 MMA, 1-1 BMMA) returns to action at Bellator 238 against Anthony Taylor (6-5 MMA, 1-3 BMMA).

A Bellator official confirmed the booking with MMA Junkie, following a Saturday announcement by Taylor on Twitter.

Bellator 238 takes place Jan. 25 at The Forum in Inglewood, Calif. The main card will stream live on DAZN after prelims on MMA Junkie.

Since Avila was signed to the UFC in 2016, he has struggled to pick up wins. In his most recent seven fights, Avila has lost six decisions: five unanimous and one split. His lone win in that stretch came against Brandon Pieper at Bellator 212 in December 2018.

As for Taylor, the 30-year-old fighter has won his most recent four outings for notable promotions such as Combate Americas and BAMMA.

The up-to-date Bellator 238 lineup now includes:

MAIN CARD (DAZN, 10 p.m. ET)

• Champ Julia Budd vs. Cris Cyborg
• Adam Borics vs. Darrion Caldwell – featherweight grand prix quarterfinal
• Alfred Khashakyan vs. Sergio Pettis
• Dillon Danis vs. Kegan Gennrich – 175-pound catchweight

PRELIMINARY CARD (MMA Junkie, 7 p.m. ET)

• Aaron Pico vs. Daniel Carey
• Mario Navarro vs. Jay Jay Wilson
• Khonry Gracie vs. Hector Saldana
• David Pacheco vs. Craig Plaskett
• Brandon Bender vs. Joshua Jones
• Dominic Clark vs. Ricardo Seixas Filho
• Tyler Beneke vs. Jarrett Connor
• AJ Agazarm vs. Adel Altamimi
• Curtis Millender vs. Moses Murrietta
• Chris Avila vs. Anthony Taylor