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Alessio Di Chirico called UFC interviewer and commentator Jon Anik ‘Ariel’ before refusing to do an interview, in what’s being described by many as a rather bizarre moment.
Di Chirico impressively defeated Joaquin Buckley with a beautiful head kick in round one of their fight at UFC Fight Island 7. Di Chirico entered this fight on a three-fight losing streak, whereas Buckley was riding a two-fight winning streak.
Additionally, Joaquin Buckley had a considerable amount of momentum with him, largely owing to his KO of the year performance in October 2020 – a fight in which he had knocked out Impa Kasanganay with a spectacular spinning back kick.
The MMA community is presently abuzz with discussions about UFC Fight Island 7 and its memorable fights. Apart from the entertaining fights, Alessio Di Chirico’s post-fight octagon exchange with UFC on-air personality Jon Anik has turned out to be one of the notable talking points regarding the event.
Jon Anik – who has long served as a commentator, interviewer, and analyst for the UFC – stepped into the octagon and approached Alessio Di Chirico to interview the latter after his big win over Joaquin Buckley.
Alessio Di Chirico referred to Jon Anik as ‘Ariel’, which many believe is a reference to MMA journalist and well-known combat sports personality Ariel Helwani. The belief is that Di Chirico mistook Jon Anik for Ariel Helwani, and this led to him referring to Anik as Ariel. Di Chirico also spoke about how he doesn’t like the fact that only winners receive a post-fight octagon interview:
“I don’t like you only interview the winner. It’s not correct. This sport is made by two people, always. Thank you, guys. I’m so happy. See you again.”
Certain sections of the MMA world have suggested that Alessio Di Chirico refused to do the post-fight octagon interview. On the contrary, others feel that Di Chirico simply intended to keep his interview brief and concise, which is what led to the interview seemingly being cut short.
Alessio Di Chirico has his sights set on the throne of the UFC middleweight division
The UFC middleweight title is currently held by Israel Adesanya, who will move up to light heavyweight and fight the reigning UFC 205-pound champion Jan Blachowicz for the latter’s title at UFC 259 on March 6th, 2021.
With his amazing win over Joaquin Buckley, Alessio Di Chirico is now expected to benefit greatly not only because he defeated a fighter with great hype and momentum behind him, but also due to the dramatic fashion in which he won the fight. Di Chirico has his sights set on the UFC middleweight title and is likely to receive another high-profile matchup in his next UFC fight.
