Former
UFC middleweight champion Israel
Adesanya has avoided a conviction for a drunk driving incident
last August, according to a report from the New Zealand Herald.
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During a hearing in Auckland, New Zealand, Judge Peter Winter
ordered Adesanya to donate $1,500 to charity, refrain from driving
for six months and enroll in a stop drunk driving program before
the end of the year.
“I’m sure you have learned from this,” Winter told Adesanya in
court. “You would not want to be placed in this position again, as
you realize.”
Adesanya was
charged with driving a car in Auckland on Aug. 19 with 87
milligrams of alcohol per 100 milliliters of blood. The legal limit
in the country is 50 milligrams. The UFC star faced a maximum
penalty of three months in prison or a $4,500 fine.
Adesanya was granted a discharge without conviction when his
lawyer, Karl Trotter, argued that such charges could seriously
affect the end of his client’s fighting career. This included a
presentation demonstrating that Adesanya could lose hundreds of
thousands of dollars in endorsements if convicted. Adesanya is also
expected to appear at UFC 297
in Toronto for promotional purposes.
“The adverse consequences should my client be convicted are
monumental — that’s not exaggerating the situation,” Trotter said.
“He realizes he is in jeopardy.”
Police prosecutor Samara Wakefield opposed the discharge without
conviction, downplaying the potential consequences for Adesanya as
“speculative at best,” according to the report. Ultimately, the
court sided with Adesanya’s team, as Judge Winter agreed that the
fighter’s “career window in this sport is limited in duration.”
Adesanya issued a thank you to the judge at the conclusion of the
hearing. The incident occurred a few weeks prior to his last title
defense at UFC 293, where he suffered an upset loss to Sean
Strickland. While “The Last Stylebender” initially claimed that
he planned to take an extended hiatus from the sport, he has since
stated that he
plans to return to action sometime in 2024.