Who is Alessio Di Chirico ? Released UFC fighter accused of attacking a taxi driver

Alessio Di Chirico is a former UFC middleweight contender who recently found himself in hot water after assaulting a taxi driver while on vacation with his family in Spain.

The 33-year-old Italian made his promotional debut in April 2016 and fought 11 times in the octagon before announcing his retirement in September 2022. 'Manzo' was on a two-fight losing slide before retirement, last facing Roman Kopylov at UFC Paris.

His most memorable victory in the octagon came against Joaquin Buckley, whom he defeated via first-round knockout at UFC Fight Island 7. Alessio Di Chirico has a professional record of 13-7 and a UFC record of 4-7.

'Manzo' was recently arrested after assaulting a taxi driver on Formentera, a small island south of Ibiza. A dispute over the driver not allowing four passengers in the car's back seat resulted in Di Chirico allegedly punching the driver in the face, fracturing his cheekbone, and getting glass in his right eye.

The taxi driver, 32-year-old Omar Bouhia El Haouzi, was immediately airlifted to a hospital and will reportedly undergo a delicate facial surgery.

According to Diario de Ibiza, Alessio Di Chirico has been released from jail after his wife paid a €30,000 bond and was handed a 100-meter restraining order.

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Former UFC fighter Alessio Di Chirico shares his side of the story after facing an assault charge in Spain

Alessio Di Chirico recently addressed his legal charges and took to social media to share his version of events. He claimed that the cabbie was the first aggressor.

In a recent Instagram post, translated by MMA journalist Al Zullino on Twitter, Di Chirico explained what really went down after he and his family left the restaurant in Formentera and hailed a cab.

The retired fighter explained that due to the driver not allowing four passengers in the backseat of the car, which lacked a child seat, he couldn't help his wife hold both their children.

As both children were asleep and his wife could only hold one, the other sleeping child reportedly kept hitting his head on the seat in front. As it kept happening, Di Chirico begged the driver to allow him to move back, but the driver refused and aggressively threatened to abandon them.

Upon arriving at their hotel, Alessio Di Chirico had an argument that resulted in the driver coming at him and putting his hand on the fighter's face. That's what made 'Manzo' react violently. He wrote:

"He came towards me to attack me, placing a hand on my face, and I reacted. I struck him once, and there are videos that show it."