'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Israel Adesanya was arrested at John F. Kennedy Airport in New York on Wednesday. The former UFC middleweight champion was on his way to board his flight home when he was arrested for criminal possession of a weapon. The arrest took place as Adesanya was going through the TSA screening process before his flight.
Carrying brass knuckles is illegal in the state of New York. According to a statement released by Adesanya's manager Tim Simpson via Ariel Helwani, a fan gave the 'The Last Stylebender' the weapon as a gift and he stored it in his luggage:
"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. He has complied accordingly, with that the matter was dismissed and he is on his way home.”
Trending
The issue was resolved and Israel Adesanya is heading back home. However, it is unclear at this point whether police will press charges against the fighter.
Get the latest updates on One Championship Rankings at Sportskeeda and more
Israel Adesanya shares a message he received from Muhammad Ali's team
Israel Adesanya's reign over the middleweight division came to an end last Saturday night at UFC 281.
The Nigerian-New Zealander lost his belt to Alex Pereira, as he got knocked out for the second time in his fighting career by the same opponent. 'Poatan' replicated the same performance from when they fought for the second time at Glory Kickboxing, pulling off a final-round knockout.
Following his loss to the Brazilian, Adesanya received a message from Muhammad Ali's team and shared it with his fans on Twitter:
"'The past can be a great teacher.' - Aang... Got this gift from the greatest of all time’s team. The compliments I got from them about dealing with this weekend filled me with pride. Thank you for this gift oh great one. I will always be inspired by your spirit, forever"
He compared his loss and the message he received from Ali's team to the show Avatar: The Last Airbender, from where he derives his nickname. The show has influenced his style of fighting and he looks to use his loss as a means to bounce back stronger, just as the lead character of the show, Aang, did.
