"We are the laughing stock of the world" - Israel Adesanya trolls New Zealand PM Jacinda Ardern for lockdown measures
Israel Adesanya has long been critical of the COVID-19 related restrictions that have been implemented by the New Zealand government during the ongoing pandemic. 'The Last Stylebender' has often pointed out that the restrictions imposed and the lockdown measures implemented by the government were far too strict in nature. He even suggested that some of them were completely unnecessary.
The UFC middleweight champion recently trolled the country's Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern for some questionable decisions she made during the pandemic. According to Adesanya, New Zealand has turned into "the laughing stock of the world" due to the failure to control the rise in COVID cases despite having harsh restrictions in place.
Thousands march in New Zealand today for a permanent end to COVID mandates.
https://t.co/iAc4ftSEzY
During a recent interaction with True Geordie, Adesanya said:
"The start of this pandemic, I was like, 'What the f**k?' because I was like scared. So when the first lockdown hit, it felt like the purge. [The lockdown measures were] very, very strict and that's why 'we kicked COVID's a**' and then we just delayed that sh*t. F**king look at us now, we are the laughing stock of the world. Let's laugh at us again. Yeah, we're behind now. It's stupid, some of the stuff they're implementing."
Check out Adesanya's conversation with True Geordie below:
New Zealand had been under very strict lockdown rules and vaccination mandates until recently. The government has now decided to finally reopen its international borders and lift self-isolation rules for fully vaccinated individuals. This decision surprisingly comes at a time when cases of COVID have been skyrocketing in the country.
New Zealand has seen an alarming rise in the number of positive cases despite having one of the highest vaccination rates in the world.
New Zealand just reported the equivalent of 900,000 cases in the US with mask mandates, vaccine passports & one of the world’s highest vaccination rates
Cases have risen 8,425% since they moved to “red light” restrictions & expanded vaccine passports
I don’t think it’s working https://t.co/ys9ki7DJdb
Israel Adesanya isn't likely to ever compete in New Zealand again
Back in September last year, Israel Adesanya's friend and teammate, Dan Hooker, was not allowed access to gyms in Auckland due to the COVID-19 related restrictions in the country at the time. Although Hooker had a fight coming up in a few weeks, he was forced to train at home in complete isolation.
The government also delayed clearing Hooker's visa process, which would allow the lightweight to fly to the United States to fight Nasrat Haqparast at UFC 266. He was only able to fly to the country a couple of days before the fight. This prompted Adesanya to make up his mind about never competing in New Zealand again.
During an interaction with ESPN's Brett Okamoto before UFC 271, Israel Adesanya said:
"I'll never fight in Auckland again, in New Zealand."
Check out the interview below:
Adesanya was last in action at UFC 271. 'The Last Stylebender' defended his middleweight title with a unanimous decision win over Robert Whittaker.