Israel Adesanya Responds to Viral Street Altercation

Former UFC champ Adesanya speaks on a near street fight with a man who reportedly called him a racial slur.

Israel Adesanya made headlines this week in New Zealand after video came out of the ex-UFC champion nearly getting into a fight with an angry bystander.

The Altercation In Auckland

It was just another day of training for Adesanya, who was leaving a cafe and about to get in his car when he was approached by a man that had called him the a racial slur and challenged him to a fight in the street, according to TMZ Sports.

Footage was captured of the altercation with Adesanya telling off the man, spitting in his direction, saying, "I'll pay for you to try to me" before the person behind the camera drove away from the scene.

Some guy tried to start some shit with Izzy pic.twitter.com/Hkw3zMA0dY

— Dovy🔌 (@DovySimuMMA) September 5, 2024

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Adesanya's POV

Adesanya would give his eyewitness account to the authorities in Auckland following the altercation on Wednesday morning.

“I am extremely disappointed after an incident on Wednesday when a random member of the public stopped his car, racially abused me, and challenged me to a fight. We have been in contact with police and will be pressing charges," Adesanya said in a statement to New Zealand Herald.

“On Wednesday morning, I was leaving a cafe on K Rd when a passing car slowed, and an occupant began yelling racial abuse and challenging me to fight.

Jasmin Frank-Imagn Images

“I smiled, waved it off, and continued to my car. The vehicle stopped, and the abuse continued. I again waved it off. The car then parked, and the passenger got out, approached me aggressively, continued his torrent of abuse, and demanded I fight him. I tried to de-escalate the situation repeatedly. As he got closer, I asked bystanders to call the police.

“He then entered my personal space, and I felt threatened. To protect myself, I became more forceful in my language and defensive. Though he paused, the abuse continued, so I left him with some choice words, cautiously moved to my car, and drove away.

“It’s ridiculous that I can’t buy a pie after training without some idiot screaming despicable things and asking for a fight while his mates film from the sidelines," Adesanya added. "Threatening violence is no joke. It’s very dangerous, and incidents like this must not be glorified online. I hope in the future people say something rather than get their phones out to film.”

Jasmin Frank-Imagn Images

The Video Recorder Wasn't A Fan Of Adesanya's Actions

The person that recorded the video of Adesanya's altercation decided to stay anonymous, telling NZ Herald that they had recognized the former UFC Champion immediately and were "quite disappointed" with Adesanya's behavior, "swearing and spitting at the other guy and grabbing his privates."

“As a public figure, I expected more from someone who represents New Zealand internationally," they said of Adesanya in a statement.

Widely regarded as the second-best middleweight fighter of all time, Israel Adesanya still showed some level of constraint with the oncomer, who has yet to be identified, choosing not to fight him upon hearing racial slurs thrown his way.

Adesanya's coming a title fight loss to current champion Dricus du Plessis - the only fighter to say they have a submission win over "The Last Stylebender", tapping him out at UFC 305 last month.

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