UFC fighter Alessio Di Chirico has announced his retirement from the sport at 32-years-old after a third round KO loss to Roman Kopylov at UFC Fight Night 209 on Saturday night.
“I wrote this message hundreds of times, hot blooded, cold blooded, alone, after talking about it with the people I love and every version got me crying,” Di Chirico wrote on Instagram.
“This is a message to all my fans: … Sadly, it was not enough. Sadly I gave you another defeat.
“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.
“Don’t be afraid, I’m not gonna leave the canvas. There are many more goals to reach I’m going to talk to you soon.”
Di Chirico’s loss on Saturday night had been his second in a row by knockout, having also been stopped in just 17 seconds by Abdul Razak Alhassan last year.
By that stage, Di Chirico was already had already lost four of his last five fights, and the tough loss to Kopylov on top of that appears to have left no doubt in his mind that he should hang up his gloves for good.
The Italian fighter bows out of the sport after a 4-7 run in the UFC and 13-7 career record overall, with his biggest wins coming against the likes of Joaquin Buckley, Julian Marquez and Oluwale Bamgbose.
