When Israel Adesanya was arrested at JFK airport for questionable baggage item courtesy of a UFC fan
Israel Adesanya was once detained at JFK airport after mistakenly putting brass knuckles in one of his luggage bags.
The incident took place back in November 2022 in the days following his first UFC bout against Alex Pereira. 'The Last Stylebender' suffered only his second defeat in MMA at the hands of the Brazilian, losing via TKO in the fifth round to hand his rival the middleweight title.
Following his bout against 'Poatan', Adesanya remained in New York for a number of days to process his loss. Drama later unfolded, however, when he eventually decided to fly back to New Zealand via JKF airport.
Security searched the Nigerian-New Zealander's bags and found brass knuckles, which are illegal in the state and can carry up to a one-year prison sentence.
The MMA star was briefly detained and when the news broke to media outlets, Adesanya's manager Tim Simpson clarified the situation.
According to Simpson, Adesanya had been handed a wrapped gift by a fan which he put into his bags. That gift was later revealed to be the brass knuckles. The statement read:
"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."
Thankfully the situation went no further and after a brief delay, Israel Adesanya was soon on his flight home.
Israel Adesanya reveals how it took 'convincing' to book his title bout against Sean Strickland
Israel Adesanya is currently set to defend his middleweight title against No.5-ranked contender Sean Strickland. The pair will headline UFC 293, which takes place in Sydney, Australia, on September 9.
According to Adesanya, however, the fight almost didn't materialize. Speaking to a group of journalists from New Zealand, the champ revealed he played a major role in convincing the UFC brass to book the fight.
According to 'The Last Stylebender', the organization was hesitant in putting the outspoke Strickland in such a public spot. Adesanya said:
“A lot [of convincing], a lot. Like I said, he’s an idiot, and the UFC don’t want him embarrassing the company. That’s all I’ll say about that, but he should thank me. He should really thank me for actually making him get the fight. I pushed for it and I’m glad the UFC trusted me and listened to me.”
Catch Israel Adesanya's comments here (2:30):