Alessio Di Chirico to return to the Octagon in June against Roman Dolidze

A middleweight encounter between Alessio Di Chirico (13-5 MMA, 4-5 UFC) and Roman Dolidze (8-1 MMA, 2-1 UFC) is slated for later this summer, multiple sources with knowledge of the situation told BJPENN.com.

The sources asked for anonymity since the news hasn’t been officially confirmed yet. No word on the official location.

The Italian 185-pounder recently returned to the win column in January when he knocked out Joaquin Buckley early in the first round with a well-timed head kick.

Prior to that much-needed win, “Manzo” was in a very tough spot, as he has lost three straight fights. The Italians had suffered decision setbacks to Kevin Holland, Makhmud Muradov, and Zak Cummings during that stretch.

After his sensational KO of Buckley, Di Chirico took to his social media to thank UFC brass for the opportunity they gave him.

“What a night, what a rollercoaster. I’m so happy for the W and I wanna spend some words to thank Dana and Mick Maynard, I’ll tell you why: I was in a three-fight losing skid, a controversial skid cause I think One or two of that losses should have been W for me, but always a bad position to be in. I could have been cut before this match, a lot of guys have been cut with 2 or 3 losses in a row. Dana and Mick let me fight again, they gave me the opportunity to let you see that I can fight and beat the best guys in the UFC. So this is the time for a big thank you. See you soon,” Di Chirico posted on his Instagram.

Roman Dolidze, on the other hand, made his UFC debut under the limit of 205 pounds, with a first-round knockout of Russia’s own Khadis Ibragimov. After another successful victory at light heavyweight against John Allan, the Georgian fighter decided to drop down a weight class and made his debut in the middleweight division. He lost that fight against Trevin Giles via decision.

He’s now ready for another opportunity under the 185-pound limit after he inked a new four-fight deal with the UFC.

“We do not have time to rest. A new improved contract has already been signed for 4 fights with the UFC and the date of the next fight is also known,” Dolidze wrote on his Instagram (via Google Translate).

Alessio Di Chirico and Roman Dolidze will lock horns on June 5. Who do you got in this middleweight scrap?