Tag: Alessio Di Chirico

Farewell, fighters: A list of former UFC champs and more MMA notables who retired in 2022

The MMA world said goodbye to more than 35 notable fighters in 2022, from former UFC champions to future UFC Hall of Famers and more.

MMA is a constantly evolving sport with a revolving door of athletes entering and exiting. Currently fighters from the era that helped make the sport so popular are beginning to trickle away from competition and hang up their gloves to move on to the next chapters in their lives.

If there’s one thing that’s well known about combat sports retirements, though, it’s that they often don’t last long. The urge to compete and, perhaps more importantly, get a payday will continue to drive fighters back, even well beyond their expiration dates.

In 2022, there was an uptick in notable fighters announcing they are retired, and we have a list of those who opted to walk away last year.

Alessio Di Chirico announces MMA retirement after UFC Paris loss: ‘It’s the right time to stop’

Italian fighter Alessio Di Chirico says he’s hanging up the gloves after a loss this past Saturday at UFC Fight Night 209 in Paris.

Italian fighter [autotag]Alessio Di Chirico[/autotag] says he’s hanging up the gloves after a loss this past Saturday in Paris.

Di Chirico (13-7 MMA, 4-7 UFC) was stopped by Roman Kopylov (9-2 MMA, 1-2 UFC) with a on the main card at UFC Fight Night 209 at Accor Arena. The event was the UFC’s debut in France.

The loss was the middleweight’s fifth in his past six fights dating back a little more than three years. Di Chirico posted his retirement announcement on his Twitter account.

“I wrote this message hundreds of times, hot blooded, cold blooded, alone, after talking about it with the people I love and every version got me crying.

“This is a message to all my fans: … Sadly, it was not enough. Sadly I gave you another defeat.

“I can’t think about how hard the people who really love me suffered for me and with me throughout my career, I’m sorry for every one who just cared about me even if we don’t know each other, I’m so grateful.

“I think it’s time to move to another chapter in my life.

“I know that’s not coming back from there, I know I will miss it so badly. I know it’s the right time to stop. …”

The 32-year-old Di Chirico started his pro career 9-0 and came to the UFC in 2016. His promotional debut was a decision loss to Bojan Velickovic in Croatia. He rebounded with a split call win over Garreth McLellan later that year, but was stopped for the first time in his career when Eric Spicely submitted him in January 2017.

Things appeared to be going in the right direction after that, though. Following a layoff of nearly a year, Di Chirico knocked out Oluwale Bamgbose in Canada and picked up his first UFC post-fight bonus check. He followed that win up with a split decision over Julian Marquez in July 2018.

But after a layoff of nearly another year, his struggles began. Di Chirico dropped three straight decisions to Kevin Holland, Makhmud Muradov and Zak Cummings.

With his UFC career potentially in jeopardy, he pulled off a stunner when he knocked out Joaquin Buckley with a bonus-winning head kick in January 2021 in Abu Dhabi – just a few months after Buckley had himself gone viral with a spinning back kick win.

That, however, will stand as Di Chirico’s final win for now. In August 2021, he was knocked out in just 17 seconds by Abdul Razak Alhassan, and after a yearlong layoff he had his knockout loss to Kopylov in Paris.

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UFC Fight Night 209 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay: Headliner Ciryl Gane nets $6k

UFC Fight Night 209 fighters took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay, a program that continued after the UFC’s deal with Venum.

PARIS – Fighters from Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 209 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $155,000.

The program, a comprehensive plan that includes outfitting requirements, media obligations and other items under the fighter code of conduct, replaces the previous payments made under the UFC Athlete Outfitting Policy.

UFC Fight Night 209 took place at Accor Arena. The entire card streamed on ESPN+.

The full UFC Fight Night 209 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:

* * * *

[autotag]Ciryl Gane[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Tai Tuivasa[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Robert Whittaker[/autotag]: $16,000
def. [autotag]Marvin Vettori[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Nassourdine Imavov[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Joaquin Buckley[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Roman Kopylov[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Alessio Di Chirico[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]William Gomis[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Jarno Errens[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Nathaniel Wood[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Charles Jourdain[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Abus Magomedov[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Dustin Stoltzfus[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Nasrat Haqparast[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]John Makdessi[/autotag]: $16,000

[autotag]Fares Ziam[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Michal Figlak[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Benoit Saint-Denis[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Gabriel Miranda[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Christian Quinonez[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Khalid Taha[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Stephanie Egger[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Ailin Perez[/autotag]: $4,000

Under the UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance program’s payout tiers, which appropriate the money generated by Venum’s multi-year sponsorship with the UFC, fighters are paid based on their total number of UFC bouts, as well as Zuffa-era WEC fights (January 2097 and later) and Zuffa-era Strikeforce bouts (April 2091 and later). Fighters with 1-3 bouts receive $4,000 per appearance; 4-5 bouts get $4,500; 6-10 bouts get $6,000; 11-15 bouts earn $11,000; 16-20 bouts pocket $16,000; and 21 bouts and more get $21,000. Additionally, champions earn $42,000 while title challengers get $32,000.

In addition to experience-based pay, UFC fighters will receive in perpetuity royalty payments amounting to 20-30 percent of any UFC merchandise sold that bears their likeness, according to officials.

Full 2022 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts:

Year-to-date total: $5,969,000
2021 total: $6,167,500
Program-to-date total: $12,136,500

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 209.

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Roman Kopylov def. Alessio Di Chirico at UFC Fight Night 209: Best photos

Check out these photos from Roman Kopylov’s win over Alessio Di Chirico at UFC Fight Night 209 in Paris.

Check out these photos from [autotag]Roman Kopylov[/autotag]’s knockout win over Alessio Di Chirico at UFC Fight Night 209 in Paris. (Photos by Per Haljestam, USA TODAY Sports)

UFC Fight Night 209 video: Roman Kopylov flurries for late KO of Alessio Di Chirico

Alessio Di Chirico got sloppy against Roman Kopylov at UFC Fight Night 209, and he paid for it with a knockout loss.

PARIS – [autotag]Alessio Di Chirico[/autotag] got sloppy against [autotag]Roman Kopylov[/autotag] at UFC Fight Night 209, and he paid for it with a knockout loss.

After two relatively competitive rounds between the middleweights at Accor Arena in Paris, Kopylov (9-2 MMA, 1-2 UFC) turned up the volume on a tiring Di Chirico (13-7 MMA, 4-7 UFC) and landed a combination that sent his opponent faceplanted to the canvas at the 1:09 mark of Round 3.

Check out the replay of the finish below (via Twitter):

It was an emphatic way for Kopylov to get his first win under the UFC banner. It was no guarantee he would win on the scorecards, and the Russian was nothing short of pleased to get the job done.

“First round everything was going well, second round everything started to fail,” Kopylov told Michael Bisping through an interpreter during his post-fight interview. “I only had one choice to take the fight in the third round. I knew I had to finish to win.”

Up-to-the-minute UFC Fight Night 209 results include:

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 209.

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UFC Fight Night 209: Best photos from Paris

Check out these photos from the fights at UFC Fight Night 209 in Paris, featuring Gane vs. Tuivasa, Whittaker vs. Vettori, and more.

Check out these photos from the fights at UFC Fight Night 209 at Accor Arena in Paris. (Photos by Per Haljestam, USA TODAY Sports)

(Gallery updated throughout the event.)

 

UFC Fight Night 209 predictions: Gane or Tuivasa, Whittaker or Vettori at historic Paris event?

Check out our staff members’ picks for the UFC Fight Night 209 main card in Paris at the UFC’s debut in France.

Gane
vs.
Tuivasa		 Vettori
vs.
Whittaker		 Di Chirico
vs.
Kopylov		 Haqparast
vs.
Makdessi		 Errens
vs.
Gomis		 Jourdain
vs.
Wood
MMA Junkie readers’
consensus picks
140-89		 gane2022
Gane
(52%)		 whittaker2022
Whittaker
(82%)		 kopylov2022
Kopylov
(58%)		 haqparast2022
Haqparast
(70%)		 gomis2022
Gomis
(79%)		 jourdain2022
Jourdain
(58%)
Ken Hathaway
@kenshathaway
156-78
trophy copy 2018 Champion		 gane2022
Gane		 whittaker2022
Whittaker		 dichirico2022
Di Chirico		 haqparast2022
Haqparast		 errens2022
Errens		 jourdain2022
Jourdain
Abbey Subhan
@kammakaze
150-84		 gane2022
Gane		 whittaker2022
Whittaker		 dichirico2022
Di Chirico		 haqparast2022
Haqparast		 errens2022
Errens		 wood2022
Wood
Mike Bohn
@MikeBohn
148-86
trophy copy 2014 Champion		 gane2022
Gane		 whittaker2022
Whittaker		 dichirico2022
Di Chirico		 haqparast2022
Haqparast		 gomis2022
Gomis		 jourdain2022
Jourdain
Matthew Wells
@MrMWells
145-89		 gane2022
Gane		 whittaker2022
Whittaker		 dichirico2022
Di Chirico		 haqparast2022
Haqparast		 gomis2022
Gomis		 jourdain2022
Jourdain
Simon Samano
@SJSamano
143-91		 gane2022
Gane		 whittaker2022
Whittaker		 dichirico2022
Di Chirico		 haqparast2022
Haqparast		 errens2022
Errens		 wood2022
Wood
Matt Erickson
@MMAjunkieMatt
141-93		 gane2022
Gane		 whittaker2022
Whittaker		 kopylov2022
Kopylov		 haqparast2022
Haqparast		 gomis2022
Gomis		 wood2022
Wood
Farah Hannoun
@Farah_Hannoun
141-93		 gane2022
Gane		 whittaker2022
Whittaker		 kopylov2022
Kopylov		 haqparast2022
Haqparast		 gomis2022
Gomis		 wood2022
Wood
Nolan King
@mma_kings
138-96		 gane2022
Gane		 whittaker2022
Whittaker		 dichirico2022
Di Chirico		 haqparast2022
Haqparast		 gomis2022
Gomis		 jourdain2022
Jourdain
Brian Garcia
@thegoze
137-97
trophy copy 2017 Champion		 gane2022
Gane		 vettori2022
Vettori		 dichirico2022
Di Chirico		 makdessi2022
Makdessi		 gomis2022
Gomis		 wood2022
Wood
George Garcia
@MMAjunkieGeorge
127-107		 tuivasa2022
Tuivasa		 vettori2022
Vettori		 dichirico2022
Di Chirico		 makdessi2022
Makdessi		 gomis2022
Gomis		 wood2022
Wood
Danny Segura
@dannyseguratv
113-121		 gane2022
Gane		 whittaker2022
Whittaker		 dichirico2022
Di Chirico		 makdessi2022
Makdessi		 errens2022
Errens		 wood2022
Wood

The UFC has touched down in France this week for the first time, and heavyweight and middleweight title contenders are atop the card.

UFC Fight Night 209 takes place Saturday at Accor Arena in Paris. The card streams on ESPN+.

(Click here to open a PDF of the staff picks grid in a separate window.)

In the heavyweight main event, Paris’ own [autotag]Ciryl Gane[/autotag] (10-1 MMA, 7-1 UFC), a former interim champion, takes on the streaking [autotag]Tai Tuivasa[/autotag] (15-3 MMA, 8-3 UFC), who has won five straight by knockout. Despite Tuivasa’s great run of late, Gane is a huge -650 favorite at Tipico Sportsbook; the comeback on Tuivasa is +420. All but one of our 11 editors, writers, radio hosts and videographers are taking Gane to get back on track after his loss to champ Francis Ngannou in January. (Despite that, our readers’ picks have the fight as the most contentious.)

The co-main event features the return of former middleweight champ [autotag]Robert Whittaker[/autotag] (23-6 MMA, 14-4 UFC) after a loss to champ Israel Adesanya. He’ll take on recent title challenger [autotag]Marvin Vettori[/autotag] (18-4-1 MMA, 8-3-1 UFC). Whittaker is a -230 favorite at the betting window and has a big 9-2 picks lead.

Also on the main card, [autotag]Alessio Di Chirico[/autotag] (13-6 MMA, 4-6 UFC) meets [autotag]Roman Kopylov[/autotag] (8-2 MMA, 0-2 UFC) in a middleweight bout. The fight nearly is a pick’em at Tipico, but our staff members have Di Chirico with a hefty 9-2 lead in the picks.

[autotag]Nasrat Haqparast[/autotag] (13-5 MMA, 5-4 UFC) takes on [autotag]John Makdessi[/autotag] (18-7 MMA, 11-7 UFC) in a lightweight bout that is one of those pre-ordained Fight of the Night-type matchups. Haqparast is a -240 favorite and has a big 8-3 edge from our pickers.

UFC newcomers [autotag]Jarno Errens[/autotag] (13-3-1 MMA, 0-0 UFC) and [autotag]William Gomis[/autotag] (10-2 MMA, 0-0 UFC) meet in a featherweight bout that has Gomis as a -230 favorite. He doesn’t have a blowout in the picks, but still has a 7-4 nod from our staff members.

And to open the main card, [autotag]Charles Jourdain[/autotag] (13-5-1 MMA, 4-4-1 UFC) takes on [autotag]Nathaniel Wood[/autotag] (18-5 MMA, 5-2 UFC) at featherweight in Wood’s second fight in the weight class. Jourdain is a -155 favorite, but our staff pickers have Wood bucking the odds with a 7-4 lead.

In the MMA Junkie reader consensus picks, Gane (52 percent), Whittaker (82 percent), Kopylov (58 percent), Haqparast (70 percent), Gomis (79 percent) and Jourdain (58 percent) are the choices.

Check out all the picks above.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 209.

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UFC Fight Night 209 pre-event facts: Can Tai Tuivasa keep UFC-best KO streak alive?

Tai Tuivasa’s run of five straight octagon knockouts is in danger as he enters the UFC Fight Night 209 main event as an underdog.

The UFC enters a new territory in France on Saturday with UFC Fight Night 209, which takes place at Accor Arena in Paris with a 12-fight lineup that streams on ESPN+.

A heavyweight matchup takes center stage on the card, with France’s own [autotag]Ciryl Gane[/autotag] (10-1 MMA, 7-1 UFC) looking to bounce back from his first career defeat against Francis Ngannou in January when he meets streaking knockout artist [autotag]Tai Tuivasa[/autotag] (15-3 MMA, 8-3 UFC) in a bout with significant title stakes.

For more on the numbers behind the headliner, as well as the rest of the card, check below for MMA Junkie’s pre-event facts about UFC Fight Night 209.

UFC on ESPN 30 Video: Abdul Razak Alhassan blasts Alessio Di Chirico with head-kick to score 17-second KO

Watch Abdul Razak Alhassan knock out Alessio Di Chirico in just 17 seconds at UFC on ESPN 30.

[autotag]Abdul Razak Alhassan[/autotag] knows how to bounce back with style.

The UFC middleweight snapped a three-fight losing streak with an incredible head-kick knockout of [autotag]Alessio Di Chirico[/autotag] in the preliminary card of Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 30. Razak Alhassan stopped Di Chirico just 17 seconds into the bout.

UFC on ESPN 30 took place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The card aired on ESPN and streamed on ESPN+.

You can watch Razak Alhassan in the video below:

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Razak Alhassan entered UFC on ESPN 30 with three consecutive defeats to Mounir Lazzez, Khaos Williams, and Jacob Malkoun. This is his first win since moving back to 185 pounds in April. All five of Alhassan’s UFC wins have come by first-round stoppage.

The up-to-the-minute UFC on ESPN 30 results include:

  • Abdul Razak Alhassan def. Alessio Di Chirico via knockout (head kick) – Round 1, 0:17
  • Wellington Turman def. Sam Alvey via split decision (27-28, 28-27, 28-27)
  • Dustin Jacoby def. Darren Stewart via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 3:04
  • JJ Aldrich def. Vanessa Demopoulos via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
  • Pat Sabatini def. Jamall Emmers via submission (heel hook) – Round 1, 1:53
  • Mana Martinez def. Guido Cannetti via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)

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Alessio Di Chirico aims to continue proving he’s one of Europe’s best fighters at UFC on ESPN 30

Ahead of UFC on ESPN 30, Alessio Di Chirico discussed his fight vs. Abdul Razak Alhassan, the COVID-19 pandemic, and his future goals.

[autotag]Alessio Di Chirico[/autotag] has had ups and downs over the span of his UFC tenure to date, but he thinks he’s moving in the right direction.

At UFC on ESPN 30, Di Chirico (13-5 MMA, 3-5 UFC) will look to turn a standalone win into a winning streak when he faces Abdul Razak Alhassan (10-4 MMA, 4-4 UFC).

“He is a very dangerous opponent,” Di Chirico recently told MMA Junkie through a translator. “Don’t think I’ll sleep on him. I am well prepared for everything and I’ll tell you a secret: every fighter in the UFC can knock you down with a single shot. So there’s no joke, I’ll be wide awake.”

In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, Di Chirico, like many fighters, had to make adjustments on the fly. He feels lucky to be able to compete in Las Vegas during a time when many international fighters are being forced to withdraw due to travel restrictions.

“Yes the situation, as I said, is crazy,” Di Chirico said. “Year-and-a-half of this sh*t, it’s unbelievable. To be honest, the situation it’s worse than you can even imagine and that’s why I told you before I’m so grateful to be here in Vegas for a UFC fight. I was lucky enough during this camp to have all the help I needed.

“My Friend Nikola Dipchikov, a very solid fighter, and ACA finalist came to give me a lot of help during the last weeks of the camp. Everything happened under the vision of my mystic head coach Michele Verginelli and all the people in my team, It’s hard to express how grateful I am to every one of them, I really can’t wait to express that into the octagon.”

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Di Chirico, 31, reentered the win column in powerful fashion in January when he halted the momentum of Joaquin Buckley with a vicious head kick knockout. He thinks the win is the first of many – as he marches toward proving a point that he is one of the world’s best.

“I will take back what belongs to me not only in 2021 but also in the years to come,” Di Chirico said. “I’ve been discontinuous and I made some mistakes but I know for sure and I will demonstrate that I am one of the best European fighters.”

UFC on ESPN 30 takes place Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The main card airs on ESPN/ESPN+ after prelims on ESPN+.

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