Former UFC champion Israel Adesanya pleads guilty to drunk driving charge in New Zealand
Israel Adesanya last fell to Sean Strickland and lost his UFC middleweight title earlier this month
Former UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya pleaded guilty to drunk driving in New Zealand on Monday, according to ESPN’s Marc Raimondi.
Adesanya was driving home after a dinner with friends on Aug. 19 in Auckland, New Zealand, when he “encountered a Random Breath Testing unit,” his team told ESPN. He was driving with 87 milligrams of alcohol per 100 milliliters of blood when he was stopped — which is over the legal limit of 50 milligrams, or a blood alcohol content of 0.05%, in the country. By comparison, the legal driving limit in much of the United States is 0.08%.
Adesanya, 34, is due to return to court for sentencing on Jan. 10. The maximum penalty for a drunk driving charge in New Zealand is three months in jail or a $2,680 fine.
"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 a dinner," Adesanya said in a statement, via ESPN. "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."
Adesanya lost his middleweight title in a stunning upset earlier this month at UFC 293 on Sept. 9. Sean Strickland dropped Adesanya in the first round of their title fight in Sydney, Australia, and then won by unanimous decision to claim the belt. The fight took place three weeks after Adesanya was stopped.
Adesanya, who is still widely considered one of the best fighters in his weight class in the history of the sport, holds a 24-3 record. He has lost two of his past three bouts, with the first loss in that stretch coming against Alex Pereira in November. Adesanya avenged that loss in April. It’s unclear when Adesanya will fight next.
