UFC star Israel Adesanya pleads guilty to drunk driving in New Zealand
Israel Adesanya, the former UFC middleweight champion until his recent loss to Sean Strickland, appeared in Auckland district court in New Zealand and pleaded guilty to drunk driving, as reported by the New Zealand Herald.
According to court documents, the international star was charged with driving a car on Wellesley St in Auckland Central with 87 milligrams of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood, surpassing the legal limit of 50 milligrams.
Israel Adesanya just plead guilty to drinking and driving pic.twitter.com/J9qF0JV4CT
— Bloody Elbow (@BloodyElbow) September 24, 2023
The charge carries a maximum penalty of a $4500 fine or three months in prison. Adesanya issued an apology to his fans, friends, and family, saying, “I want to apologize to the community, my family, and my team for the decision I made to get behind the wheel after drinking at dinner. I was pulled over and gave an evidentiary blood test – the reading was 87 milligrams of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood.”
He continued, “I am disappointed with my decision to drive. It was wrong. I know that people might follow me, and I want them to know I do not think this behavior is acceptable.”
Have learned this was several weeks before the Strickland fight - kind of out of character for Izzy to have a lapse like that, he’s usually professional to a T with the fighting prep
— Ben Davis (@BenTheBaneDavis) September 24, 2023
Notably, the incident occurred on August 19 while Adesanya was in training for his title-losing performance at UFC 293.