Former UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya ran into a little trouble last month at New York City’s John F. Kennedy Airport. “The Last Stylebender” was flagged for trying to pass through security with a set of brass knuckles in his possession.
Adesanya’s manager later revealed that the weapon was given by a fan and that the ex-champ put it in his luggage. Possession of weapons like brass knuckles is illegal in the state of New York and is considered a class A misdemeanor. Such an offense is punishable by at least a year in jail.
But on Tuesday, the Queen County court issued an adjournment in contemplation of dismissal. In a nutshell, it means Adesanya’s case can be dismissed in six months if he avoids arrest within the given time. A spokesperson for the Queens County District Attorney’s office confirmed the news to MMA Fighting after it was first reported by TMZ.
Paradigm Sports Management representative David Fish also spoke to MMA Fighting, saying it was an “innocent mistake” by his client.
“You can’t possess those things, but it was really just an innocent mistake. He rushed out of the house he was staying in to get to the airport and basically dumped everything into his suitcase. Unfortunately, [the brass knuckles] were one of the things.”
The incident happened a few days after UFC 281, where Adesanya lost the 185-pound title to Alex Pereira via fifth-round TKO. It took place at Madison Square Garden.
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