After 20 professional MMA bouts, Alessio di Chirico is turning the page.
On Monday, the 11-fight UFC veteran took to social media to release a heartfelt reaction to his stoppage loss to Roman Kopylov this past Saturday at UFC Paris. Additionally, the 32-year-old seemed to reveal that he was retiring from mixed martial arts competition. MMA Fighting confirmed with a person with knowledge of the situation that di Chirico will, in fact, be retiring.
“I have written this message many times. I was hot-blooded and cold-blooded. After talking to my family about it, every version made me cry,” Di Chirico wrote in a translation. “This is a message to all my fans: You’ve been crazy last night in Paris, I really felt your presence into the octagon. Every shot I ate was less painful because of you, you were my shield. When I saw that I could not take him down at the start of round 2, I was overcome by my own speed and height. I decided to let it go, despite the fact that I had so many friends behind me. I didn’t want any pain. Unfortunately, this was insufficient. Sadly I gave you another defeat.
” I can’t believe how much the people I love suffered for me over my career. I am so sorry to everyone who cared for me, even though we may not know each other. I think it’s time to move to another chapter in my life. It’s clear that there is no going back, and I am certain I will be missing it very much. I know it’s the right time to stop. Thank you so much for being here with me in my last battle. I love you, Manzo
“Don’t worry, I’m not going to leave the canvas. You have many other goals I want to achieve .”
Di Chirico ends his career with a 13-7 professional record, 4-7 inside the octagon. The biggest win for “Manzo” came at UFC Fight Island 7 in January 2021. During the promotion’s first ever broadcast on ABC, di Chirico pulled off a big upset by knocking out Joaquin Buckley with a head kick in the first round.
The Italian middleweight also picked up UFC wins over Julian Marquez, Oluwale Bamgbose, and Garreth McLellan, and signed with the promotion in 2016 after winning his first nine pro bouts.
