Is Israel Adesanya still under arrest?

Former UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya was reportedly arrested at JFK Airport earlier on Wednesday but has since been released. 'The Last Stylebender' was busted for possessing brass knuckles while going through security checks at the airport.

In a recent tweet, MMA journalist Ariel Helwani posted a statement from Adesanya's manager, Tim Simpson, assuring that the fighter was not under arrest.

As per the statement, the brass knuckles were given to 'Izzy' by a fan. Simpson elaborated that the matter was quickly resolved after Adesanya complied with the authorities.

Last week at UFC 281, Adesanya's three-year-long title reign came to an end as he succumbed to a fifth-round TKO defeat at the hands of his former kickboxing foe Alex Pereira. The loss marked the Nigerian-born New Zealander's third combat sports loss to Pereira.

UFC 281 also marked the 33-year-old's only middleweight loss in MMA. Furthermore, the defeat against Pereira was the fighter's first knockout loss in mixed martial arts. The former champion currently holds a pro record of 23-2.

In a social media post since his alleged arrest and subsequent release, Adesanya penned a thank-you note to boxing legend Muhammad Ali's team for showing him support after his UFC 281 loss.

Since Adesanya was one of the most dominant champions in the promotion's history, it is highly likely that 'The Last Stylebender' will get an immediate rematch against 'Poatan'.

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Was Israel Adesanya's reign as champion the longest in UFC middleweight history?

Israel Adesanya's reign as the 185lbs champion is the second longest in the promotion's history. Anderson Silva has enjoyed the longest reign as a UFC middleweight champion.

While Adesanya's title reign lasted for a little over three years and included five title defenses during that time, 'The Spider' kept the middleweight strap for almost seven years and defended the belt 10 times before losing it to Chris Weidman at UFC 162.

After capturing the undisputed strap against Robert Whittaker at UFC 243 in 2019, the Nigerian-born mixed martial artist defended his title against Yoel Romero, Paulo Costa, Marvin Vettori, Robert Whittaker, and Jared Cannonier.

Check out a UFC video detailing Israel Adesanya's title defenses below:

'The Last Stylebender' currently sits at the No.6 spot on the UFC's pound-for-pound ladder.