Israel Adesanya, after making his mark in the world of mixed martial arts, has never been in the mood to stay out of action, whether it is at the cage or outside the cage. Adesanya always makes controversial comments about his opponents.
Due to his open trash-talking nature, Izzy found himself in trouble but escaped all of it as it came under fight-hyping drama. Adesanya, prior to his bout against Sean Strickland at UFC 293 in September 2023, got himself into legal trouble in the month of August of last year.
Did Israel Adesanya plead guilty to drink-drive charges?
This time, it was not verbal talk from Israel Adesanya, but an act known worldwide for conviction. In August 2023, Izzy was caught driving under the influence in New Zealand. Patrolling police subjected the former champion to a blood alcohol test, revealing a level of 87 mF per 100 mL. This exceeded the legal limit for drivers, and surpassing this limit can result in a severe offense.
Israel Adesanya has plead guilty to drunk driving on August 19th pic.twitter.com/T56uz3zyBe
— MMA Mania (@mmamania) September 24, 2023
After August 19, 2023, Israel went for a court hearing, and he accepted that he was guilty and ready to face the punishment as well. Adesanya first apologized to the community, his family, and his team for taking such a decision while driving the car. The 36-year-old said, “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.”
Then “Last Stylebender” explained what exactly happened on the night after dinner: “I was pulled over and gave an evidentiary blood test; the reading was 87 milligrams of alcohol per 100 milliliters of blood.”
“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.”
Later, Israel showed his disappointment in his behavior as a champion at that time and pointed out that people follow him, and he accepted that this type of behavior is not acceptable,via FoxSports.
What punishment did Israel Adesanya receive?
The former UFC middleweight champion managed to escape the conviction at the District Court. Israel Adesanya was supposed to face 3 months of jail time, but his lawyer managed to argue the judgment, which was likely to hurt the career of the former UFC champion who might face Dricus Du Plessis for the UFC middleweight championship.
🚨| Israel Adesanya avoided a conviction at Auckland District Court this morning after recently pleading guilty to driving drunk in Auckland, New Zealand, on Aug. 19 last year.
— MMA Orbit (@mma_orbit) January 10, 2024
Adesanya received a six-month ban from driving, was ordered to pay $1500 to an accredited drink-drive… pic.twitter.com/P2rmbHBc56
Israel Adesanya will pay $1500 to a not-disclosed drink-drive charity and will be facing a 6-month ban from driving any vehicle. Also, with these charges, the 36-year-old fighter will have to sign an undertaking to take the “stop-drink-drive” course.
Adesanya managed to escape prison time, but will it have a negative impact on his career? Give us your take on Adesanya making his UFC comeback.
