Watch: Israel Adesanya Spits on Man Who Allegedly Called Him With N-Word During Road Rage Incident in Viral Altercation
UFC star Israel Adesanya got into a fight with a man on the road, who allegedly called him the n-word. Read on to know the whole story.
UFC star Israel Adesanya is known for his short temper, and he doesn’t let go of things easily if they hit him. The two-time UFC Middleweight Champion recently got into a verbal altercation with a man in his home country of New Zealand.
The video of his altercation with a man whom he vowed to thrash is viral on social media. In the footage, Adesanya could be seen shouting, “Try me. Yeah I get paid for this sh*t.” It looks like he was in a fit of rage and wanted to attack the other person for using a racist slur against him.
Adesanya continued to use some expletives against the man, who then continued to yell at him. "F--- off. Go drive your beat-up f---ing s---," Adesanya said to the man, pointing at his vehicle, which was out of frame. Watch the video here:
The man who had allegedly used the racist slur against Adesanya was continuously saying something to the MMA fighter.
As the vehicle of the man who was recording the videotaping of the incident started moving, Adesanya was heard saying, “I pray for you to try me,” as he shut his car’s door and started moving against the other person. It’s not known if the UFC star had hit the other person, as their conversation was getting uglier. However, Fox News reported that the fight never got physical, and they went their ways after that fracas.
The incident once again highlights the prejudices among the people for people of certain races and how harassment and backbiting still exist. As for Adesanya, the former UFC Middleweight Champion is known for his short temper, which has landed him in some controversies.
In February 2020, he came under fire for comments he made at the UFC 248 pre-fight press conference, where he said he would make his opponent, Yoel Romero, “crumble like the Twin Towers”, referencing the collapse of Twin Towers in the 9/11 attacks.
He later had to issue an apology, which he did as he issued an apology on his Instagram page. “I was simply rambling and my brain worked faster than my mouth in a moment to choose the wrong euphemism. I did on this one and for that I'm sorry. I'll be more careful in the future with my words,” he wrote on his Instagram account.
In February 2021 also, he made headlines as he ran down his opponent, Kevin Holland, using derogatory language. He ranted against Holland on his Instagram account, saying, “Bro, I will fuckin' r*p* you.” The comments didn’t go well with the then New Zealand Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Sport, Grant Robertson, who reprimanded Adesanya for his words.
Commenting on this, he said, “"I'm sure Israel understands that; I believe he has deleted the tweet in question. It will be up to the UFC as to what they do. But I would certainly be making clear to him [Adesanya] and to anybody, actually, that we have to take rape seriously. It's not an issue that anyone should be making jokes or flippant comments about at all.”
Adesanya is coming off another title-fight defeat in UFC 305, falling to Dricus Du Plessis in the middleweight bout. As his UFC future remains in question, Adesanya has said that he doesn’t plan to retire anytime soon and looks forward to his next fight, whenever it may come.