Former UFC fighter arrested: Horrific attack on taxi driver leaves face shattered

Former UFC middleweight contender Alessio Di Chirico was arrested after viciously assaulting a taxi driver. The assault happened in Formentera, Spain while the Italian fighter was on holiday with his wife and kids. The fighter nicknamed 'Manzo' was arrested on Monday following the allegations and legal proceedings are currently on-going.

The attack happened after the taxi driver refused to let Di Chirico ride in the backseat with his wife and kids, in accordance with Spain's laws. What followed was an alleged brutal assault that left the taxi driver with broken cheekbones and serious eye injuries.

The assault happened after the cab driver dropped the Italian former fighter and family to their hotel, and after the cab fare was paid.

According to Spanish journal Diario de Ibiza, the victim who identified as Omar Bouhia will have to undergo surgery. The surgery involves removing glass fragments from his eye as a result his glasses shattering on his face due to the assault.

While Di Chirico is to appear in court on Tuesday, there isn't any word of charges being filed yet. The whole incident was captured on the hotel's CCTV camera.

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Is former UFC fighter Alessio Di Chirico retired from MMA?

Alessio Di Chirico who fought in the UFC's middleweight division retired in 2022 after losing via third-round KO to Roman Kopylov at UFC Fight Night 209. Having lost two bouts via knockout, Di Chirico decided to retire from the sport of MMA with a 13-7 overall record.

While in the organization, Di Chirico lost more than he won, having amassed a promotional record of 4-7. Prior to joining the organization, 'Manzo' was undefeated with a 9-0 record. However, he lost his UFC debut against Bojan Veličković at UFC Fight Night 86.

While in the promotion, Di Chirico won two fights via split decision and two via knockout. His decision wins came against Garreth McLellan and Julain Marquez, and he had impressive KO victories over Oluwale Bamgbose and Joaquin Buckley.

Following his last win over Buckley, Di Chirico went on a two-fight losing streak. He lost his last two bouts against Abdul Razak Alhassan and the aforementioned Roman Kopylov. Following his loss to Kopylov, 'Manzo' put out a lengthy statement announcing his retirement. Here's what he said:

"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."