A UFC fighter got a $50,000 bonus for a shock KO victory, but shunned media interviews and gave Dana White a moody look backstage
Advertisement
Alan Dawson
Jan 18, 2021, 17:47 IST
Alessio di Chirico.Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC
Alessio di Chirico scored one of the best knockouts at Saturday's UFC Fight Night, knocking out Joaquin Buckley in brutal fashion.
Rather than celebrate the victory, the Italian welterweight gave a standoffish interview in the middle of the Octagon, ignored media questions at a press conference, and even gave Dana White a moody look.
I said, 'Hey, congratulations'," White told reporters after giving the fighter a $50,000 bonus. "And they looked at me, like, 'The f--- you want?'"
"Man, that's an unhappy crew. What's wrong with them? Apparently, they didn't know they won."
Advertisement
FIGHT ISLAND - A UFC fighter got a $50,000 bonus for a shock KO, but shunned media interviews and gave Dana White a moody look backstage at the Etihad Arena on Fight Island in Abu Dhabi.
Alessio di Chirico, a renegade welterweight, produced one of the most memorable performances of Saturday's UFC Fight Night, the firm's first live event after a three-week-long hiatus for the holidays.
Rather than celebrate his win, di Chirico gave a standoffish interview in the Octagon, basically ignored media questions at the post-event press conference, and even gave White a stern look behind-closed-doors.
"I'm sorry I'm repeating this so many times, but I won't do an interview without my opponent," said the 31-year-old at a media event Insider attended.
Advertisement
The weekend's win was di Chirico's first in two years, coming off the back of a hat-trick of defeats to Kevin Holland, Makhmud Muradov, and Zak Cummings.
"I don't like the fact that only the winner is interviewed because I come from three losses," he said.
"I don't think it's good. I don't like this."
Even the UFC boss seemed to attract the fighter's ire
Addressing the media following the conclusion of the entire event, White said di Chirico's comments were amongst the "craziest [he'd] ever heard."
White said: "I just found out that kid was mad … did you guys talk to him?"
Advertisement
When one reporter explained what di Chirico had said, White could be seen miming "what the f---?"
White then said: "I just heard that … it's the craziest s--- I ever heard. I saw him in the back, walked past him and his team, and I said, 'Hey, congratulations.'
"And they looked at me, like, 'The f--- you want?' Seriously, they literally looked at me like they lost.
"Man, that's an unhappy crew. What's wrong with them? Apparently, they didn't know they won."
NewsletterSIMPLY PUT - where we join the dots to inform and inspire you. Sign up for a weekly brief collating many news items into one untangled thought delivered straight to your mailbox.