Ultimate Fighting Champion, UFC, superstar Israel Adesanya was briefly arrested at New York’s JFK airport for criminal possession of a weapon.
Adesanya was attempting to pass through airport security at 2pm local time on Thursday, November 17, 2022, when staff flagged him for carrying metal knuckles, according to TMZ Sports.
Brass knuckles are illegal in the state of New York and Adesanya was picked up and briefly taken into custody by Transportation Security Administration staff who found the banned item in his possession.
But Adesanya was quickly released by the Port Authority Police Department after explaining he had been given the knuckles as a gift by a fan in the airport.
“Israel was handed a gift by a fan, which he put in his luggage,” Adesanya’s manager Tim Simpson said in a statement.
“When flagged at the airport, Israel quickly disposed of the item, and co-operated with authorities. He has complied accordingly, with that the matter was dismissed and he is on his way home.”
If Adesanya had been charged and convicted, he could have faced one year in prison and fines.
The incident occurred as the 33-year-old was travelling back to New Zealand after he was dethroned as the UFC middleweight champion by Alex Pereira at UFC 281 last weekend at Madison Square Garden.
Adesanya had been leading their middleweight title fight on the scorecards until Pereira knocked him out early in the fifth round to claim a surprise victory.
The Kiwi star had lost to Pereira twice before in kickboxing fights but this latest defeat was just the second of his MMA career.
Adesanya had five successful middleweight title defences during his reign at the top of the division, but the result opens the door for Australian Robert Whitaker to challenge for the belt Adesanya took from him in 2019.
Israel Adesanya Defeats Cannonier To Retain UFC Middleweight Title
Nigeria’s Israel Adesanya early on Sunday, July 3, 2022, cruised to his fourth title defence of the middleweight UFC belt against Jared Cannonier.
The fight which at certain times looked one-sided, ended in a unanimous decision with the judges scoring the bout 49-46, 49-46, and 50-45 for the Last Stylebender.
Adesanya’s last fight also ended in a unanimous decision win over rival Robert Whittaker at UFC 271 in February.
“He had an excellent game plan; it was really hard to get my follow-ups going, my second phases going,” Adesanya said after he was declared the winner.
The win is Adesanya’s 12th consecutive victory as a middleweight in the UFC, only one behind the record set by UFC legend Anderson Silva, as the Last Stylebender continues to cement his legacy as one of the greatest to ever step foot in the Octagon.
“No one like him,” said the WWE legend and actor Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson.
After the bout in which he showed superiority against Cannonier, Adesanya called out Alex Pereira for his next title defence.
Pereira holds two wins over the Last Stylebender, albeit in kickboxing.
“The first time I told you it was an error on my part spamming the right hand,” Adesanya said, directing his comments to Pereira.
“That was in kickboxing. … Next time I punch you, you’ll be on skates and you’re gonna be frozen like Elsa. I’ll leave it at that.”
With his latest win, Adesanya remains unbeaten at 185 pounds in the UFC with a 12-0 record in the middleweight division.
Source: Foxsport
