Israel Adesanya is back under scrutiny but not for all the right reasons. Adesanya recently suffered an upset loss against Sean Strickland at UFC 293 leaving the MMA fans in shock. ‘Tarzan’ dominated him in a unanimous decision victory to capture the middleweight gold. However, that is not the biggest headline as of late- Adesanya has now been charged with drunk driving.

‘The Last Stylebender’ was the favorite heading into UFC 293 against Sean Strickland. However, his lackluster performance and Strickland’s brilliant defensive tactics resulted in Israel Adesanya losing his belt for the second time in under a one-year period. Fans speculated about the reason behind such a disappointing performance as the news about the former champion’s legal woes came to light. Let us take a look at that front.

Israel Adesanya was arrested on August 19, 2023, for driving under the influence

‘Izzy’ recently had a brush-off with the law weeks before his fight in Sydney at UFC 293. Law enforcement authorities arrested him on charges of driving under the influence of alcohol. Meanwhile, he recently made a court appearance in New Zealand with regard to that incident that took place on August 19. The arrest took place when he was returning home after having dinner with some of his friends in Auckland.

Israel Adesanya pleaded guilty in court to drunk driving on Aug. 19 in his home country of New Zealand, his team told @marcraimondi.

Adesanya was driving with 87 milligrams of alcohol per 100 milliliters of blood, per his team. The legal limit in the country is 50 milligrams.

— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) September 24, 2023

Subsequently, a Random Breath Testing Unit stopped him, and hence, the arrest followed. The court appearance saw ‘The Last Stylebender’ plead guilty to the charges given that the level of alcohol in his blood was 87 milligrams per 100 milliliters of blood. It was over the legal limit of 50 milligrams in New Zealand. Moreover, Israel Adesanya also shared an apology for his ill-advised actions.

The former UFC champion issued an apology following the DUI incident

In a statement released provided to the ‘New Zealand Herald’, Israel Adesanya apologized to his fans, friends, and family for the recent DUI charges. He also addressed the members of his community and his team as well. ‘Izzy’ said, “I want to apologize to the community, my family, and my team for the decision I made to get behind the wheel after drinking at dinner.”

Furthermore, Adesanya expressed his disappointment in himself to have made that ill-advised decision. “I am disappointed with my decision to drive, it was wrong,” said the UFC megastar. Not only that, he also mentioned how people look up to him and follow him. Keeping that in mind, he advised them to refrain from replicating his actions. Adesanya further added, “I know that people might follow me and I want them to know I do not think this behavior is acceptable.”

Many people are starting to believe that this recent legal crisis may affect Israel Adesanya’s UFC career going forward. If the former champion gets convicted, he may have to pay a fine of $4500 or face imprisonment of three months. We will have to wait and see what follows on January 10, 2024. Although a discharge without conviction has been requested by his lawyers.

What are your thoughts about this situation? Drop your comments below.

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