Former UFC middleweight champion Israel
Adesanya was arrested and detained for possession of brass
knuckles on Wednesday afternoon at JFK Airport in New York.
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According to an initial report from
TMZ Sports, Adesanya was arrested by the Port Authority Police
Department after going through security with the weapons near the
TSA screening area at approximately 1:57 p.m. local time. While
brass knuckles are a class A misdemeanor in New York and can be
punished with up to a year in prison plus fines, it appears that
the situation was a misunderstanding. Adesanya’s manager, Tim
Simpson, released a statement regarding the situation.
“Israel was handed a gift by a fan, which he put in his luggage.
When flagged at the airport, Israel quickly disposed of the item,
and cooperated with authorities,” Simpson said in the statement.
“He has complied accordingly, with that the matter was dismissed
and he is on his way home.”
Adesanya relinquished his middleweight crown in a fifth-round
technical knockout defeat to Alex
Pereira in the UFC 281 main event at Madison Square Garden in
New York on Saturday night. It was just the second loss of his
professional MMA career.