It has been reported that the UFC’s former middleweight champion, Israel Adesanya, was stopped after trying to pass through airport security with a set of brass knuckles.
Perhaps, Adesanya was afraid that Alex Pereira was going to find him at JFK airport and defeat him for a fourth time, so he armed himself with some brass knucks to help increase his punching power. Of course I’m just joking.
The TMZ report states that Izzy’s manager, Tim Simpson, told them that,
“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.”
Around 1:57pm, Adesanya was busted by the Port Authority Police Department by the TSA screening checkpoint near the American Airlines terminal. Being in possession of brass knuckles is illegal in the state of New York, and if convicted Adesanya could be slapped with fines and up to one year in jail.
With Israel living in New Zealand, that could add an extra bit of complication to this case. After losing his middleweight title to Alex Pereira at UFC 281 this past Saturday, it sounds like the former champ is having a horrible week. Hopefully this is just one big misunderstanding, and the state of New York doesn’t throw the book at him.
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