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Interview: Why Rome-native UFC fighter Alessio Di Chirico is no Gladiator
- Updated: August 24, 2016
Alessio Di Chirico is coming off the only defeat in his young career, after dropping a decision to Bojan Velickovic in April, in the opening bout of UFC Fight Night 86. Though the judges gave the nod to his Serbian opponent, the match in Zagreb was a close affair which some scored in favour of the Italian UFC debutante.
Asked if he agreed with the official judges’ scores, Di Chirico was blunt. “I don’t care about this,” he told Bloody Elbow. “No fighter can be satisfied if a match is left in the hands of judges.”
Prior to his match with Velickovic, Di Chirico was undefeated in nine bouts. Of those victories only one was earned via a decision.
“I went always forward,” said Di Chirico, of his performance versus Velickovic. “He was very elusive, but I think I pressured him [throughout the fight].”
The 26-year-old middleweight did concede that he made mistakes in the second round of the contest, in allowing his opponent ample opportunities to attack his arm with a kimura. Despite these mistakes, and being handed the first loss on his record, Di Chirico feels positive about his UFC debut.
“Win or learn,” said Di Chirico – echoing Team McGregor. “I think I learned a lot of things after that match.”
This weekend, in Vancouver, British Columbia, Di Chirico meets South African Garreth McLellan (13-4), who is currently 1-2 in the UFC and coming of off a TKO loss at the hands of Magnus Cedenblad.
I think he is an ‘old school fighter.’ He started with karate and then improved his style with wrestling, grappling, etc. I’m an athlete of a new generation.
Di Chirico respects the 34-year-old McLellan’s veteran savvy, his dangerous submission game (McLellan has 9 submission victories), and his karate credentials (McLellan is a former national champion). However, Di Chirico also believes that McLellan, and fighters like him, are part of a dying breed that may not be cut out for today’s MMA landscape.
“I think he is an ‘old school fighter’,” explained Di Chirico. “He started with karate …
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