Israel Adesanya arrested at New York airport

Former UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya was arrested at the JFK Airport in New York. Photo via Instagram (@stylebender)

Yesterday, former UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya was arrested at the JFK Airport in New York for possession of brass knuckles.

Possession of brass knuckles are illegal in New York and considered a misdemeanor that’s punishable with up to one year in prison plus fines.

In a statement to MMA Junkie, Adesanya’s manager Tim Simpson commented on the arrest.

“Israel was handed a gift by a fan, which he put in his luggage,” Simpson said. “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’s on his way home.”

Israel Adesanya lost the UFC title to Alex Pereira

Israel Adesanya had been in New York for a while since he faced Alex Pereira in the middleweight title fight at the iconic Madison Square Garden.

The fight was going Adesanya’s way until the fifth and final round where Pereira caught him with a big left hook and followed up with a flurry of punches to finish the fight. The loss was his first-ever in the UFC middleweight division.

“I was fine. I could see everything. My eyes might have rolled back a little bit, but I was lucid,” Adesanya commented on the stoppage at the post-fight press conference.

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