Earlier this week, former UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya was filmed by an anonymous bystander in what’s been described as a ‘road rage’ incident in New Zealand; the ‘Last Stylebender’ allegedly spat on the driver after a heated confrontation.
Israel Adesanya has himself now shared a statement addressing the incident to a regional outlet in New Zealand, offering his side of the story and stating that he is pressing charges against the unknown man over alleged racial abuse.
Israel Adesanya claims he’s pressing charges over racial abuse during incident
On Wednesday, a video began circulating the online MMA community in which former UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya could be seen in a heated argument with another driver in New Zealand.
In a statement made to the New Zealand Herald, Adesanya shared that he’s since made a complaint to police in Central Auckland over the incident after the unknown second party racially abused him.
“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,” the statement began, confirming that he has since “been in contact with police and will be pressing charges.”
According to Adesanya, after leaving a café on Wednesday morning, a passing vehicle slowed down with its occupant allegedly yelling racial abuse at the iconic UFC athlete and challenging him to a street fight.
“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.”
The ‘Last Stylebender’ argued that it was “ridiculous” that he could be abused in such a manner by another member of the public as he also took aim at those who filmed the incident, rather than helping de-escalate the situation.
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“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… 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.”
The New Zealand Herald claims to have also received a statement from the anonymous bystander who filmed the incident, stating that they were disappointed in Adesanya, who they recognized instantly, for his reaction.
“I immediately recognised him and from what I witnessed I was quite disappointed to see him acting in this manner in public, 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.”
The outlet also writes that they have confirmed Adesanya has filed a formal complaint with the respective authorities.