Michael Bisping reacts to Israel Adesanya being arrested at JFK Airport for possession of brass knuckles
Michael Bisping has reacted to the news that former middleweight champion Israel Adesanya was arrested at JFK airport yesterday.
'The Last Stylebender' was due to catch a flight back to New Zealand but was detained by airport security for having brass knuckles in his luggage.
Tim Simpson, Israel Adesanya's manager, put out a statement that explained the situation. According to Simpson, the brass knuckles were a gift from a fan that Adesanya had unknowingly put into his bag:
"Israel was handed a gift by a fan, which he put in his luggage. When flagged at the airport, Israel quickly disposed of the item and cooperated with authorities. He has complied accordingly, with that the matter was dismissed and he is on his way home."
Statement from @stylebender’s manager Tim Simpson on Adesanya’s incident at JFK this afternoon: https://t.co/UoZE4oBoWt
Michael Bisping reacted to the news on his YouTube channel. According to 'The Count', what Adesanya did is nothing compared to some of the crimes other UFC stars have committed:
"What Izzy did there is nothing compared what Conor, myself, Jon Jones or Rampage did. Jon Jones headbutted a police car...car crashes, the belt stripped, smashing a Bentley into a lampost, hitting a car with a pregnant lady in the car...The point I'm making is, he shouldnt have gone through the aiport with knuckledusters...it's just a little oversight. If he didn't know, he didn't know!"
Catch the full reaction here:
Israel Adesanya shares gift he recieved from Muhammad Ali's team following UFC 281 loss to Alex Pereira
UFC 281's main event saw Israel Adesanya lose to Alex Pereira via fifth-round TKO. Adesanya's loss was only the second time he's been defeated during his MMA career and the first time he's been finished.
Following the defeat, Adesanya shared on Instagram a gift he received from Muhammad Ali's team. Ali, one of the most well-known athletes in history, was in a similar situation when he suffered his first boxing loss to Joe Frazier, also at Madison Square Garden, in 1971.
"'The past can be a great teacher.' - Aang... Got this gift from the greatest of all time’s team. The compliments I got from them about dealing with this weekend filled me with pride. Thank you for this gift oh great one. I will always be inspired by your spirit, forever."
The touching message from Ali's team will surely resonate with Israel Adesanya and give him the confidence to be successful on his inevitable UFC return. The New Zealander is expected to take some time away from the sport to recuperate, but he's confident he's earned the right for an immediate rematch.