Former UFC middleweight Alessio Di Chirico, who announced his retirement from MMA last year, has been arrested in Spain, accused of assaulting a 32-year old taxi driver.
The incident took place Sunday evening. The fighter and his family are believed to have been in Spain on vacation.
Di Chirico, per multiple reports, was in the company of his wife and two sons heading back to their hotel from a nearby restaurant, and was told by the alleged victim that he could not sit with them, as local laws prohibited four parties from sitting in the back seat of a vehicle.
The fighter instead rode in the passenger seat, and upon reaching his destination and paying for the ride, struck the driver on the right side of the face, resulting in “serious injuries,” per a report by Spanish outlet Diario de Ibiza (h/t Al Zullino).
The incident left the driver with a fractured cheekbone and injuries to the right eye requiring surgery. He was transported to a hospital in Ibiza following the incident.
The allegations against Di Chirico, 33, have not been proven in court. However, a report by Formentera News noted that the incident may have been captured by the hotel’s security cameras.
Formal charges against Di Chirico have yet to be announced.
Starting his run with the UFC in 2016 after amassing a perfect 9-0 record in Italy and other parts of Europe, Alessio Di Chirico would go on to post a 4-7 record inside the octagon. The Italian, nicknamed “Manzo,” retired in September off a loss to Roman Kopylov at UFC Paris. It was his fifth loss in six fights.
Di Chirico holds notable wins over Julian “The Cuban Missile Crisis” Marquez and Joaquin Buckley, the latter a highlight reel head kick KO.
