Israel Adesanya detained, released after brass knuckles found in luggage at JFK
‘The Last Stylebender’ quickly disposed of the item, according to his team, and was released in short order.
UFC fighter Israel Adesanya (23-2 MMA, 12-2 UFC) was arrested on Wednesday at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York for possession of “metal knuckles,” according to ESPN’s Marc Raimondi. The arrest occurred at 1:57 p.m. ET.
According to Adesanya’s manager, Tim Simpson, the knuckles were given to Adesanya by a fan, and the fighter put them in his luggage.
“When flagged at the airport, Israel quickly disposed of the item, and cooperated with authorities,” Simpson said in a statement. “He has complied accordingly, with that the matter was dismissed and he is on his way home.”
Adesanya, 33, headlined last weekend’s UFC 281, fighting Alex Pereira (7-1 MMA, 4-0 UFC) at Madison Square Garden. Pereira won via TKO in the fifth round, taking Adesanya’s middleweight championship belt. It was just the second loss of Adesanya’s professional fighting career.
This story first published at SI.com/MMA.