Israel Adesanya will not be punished for his NYC arrest.
Former UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya did not have a great time while in New York City. He was there to defend his title against a familiar foe in Alex Pereira. There was a great amount of hype behind this matchup since Pereira had beaten Adesanya twice in their kickboxing days. Pereira proved once again to have Adesanya’s number as he score the fifth-round TKO over him to become the new middleweight champion at UFC 281.
While in New York Adesnaya received a gift from a fan that later posed a problem. He was gifted a pair of brass knuckles which are illegal in New York. At the airport, the contraband was flagged by the NYPD, and Adesanya was taken into custody.
Israel Adesanya was released and his case was dismissed conditionally
Adesanya was released by police and was able to fly home to New Zealand after the weapon was disposed of. Now according to reports by TMZ Sports, the case on Adesanya was dismissed and as long as he stays out of trouble he will have no charges for this incident. This was called an adjournment in contemplation of dismissal (ACD).
Adesanya’s manager Tim Simpson gave a statement to MMA Junkie about the nature of the incident.
“Israel was handed a gift by a fan, which he put in his luggage,” Simpson said at the time of the arrest. “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.”
Adesanya has expressed interest in having a rematch with Pereira although the UFC has not signed on to this idea just yet. There are other fighters looking for a title shot against the new champion as well, most notably Khamzat Chimaev has shown interest.
