When Israel Adesanya turned down a massive Hollywood movie co-starring Canelo Alvarez and Michael B. Jordan

Former UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya once revealed he turned down the opportunity to star in a Hollywood movie, which would have seen him appear alongside Canelo Alvarez and Michael B. Jordan.

Back in November 2021, 'The Last Stylebender' was sitting at the top of the 185-pound division and was preparing to face off against his longtime rival Alex Pereira for the first time in MMA.

Before he stepped into the octagon to face 'Poatan', Adesanya spoke to Middle Easy just days out from the fight, where he revealed he had to turn down a Hollywood movie role in order to focus on his fight camp.

The movie in question was 'Creed III', which was released in 2023. The film, set in the 'Rocky Balboa' universe, starred Michael B. Jordan as Adonis Creed, the son of Balboa's rival Apollo Creed. Mexican boxing star Canelo Alvarez also appeared in a cameo role during the movie.

Explaining his reasoning for turning down the opportunity, Adesanya said:

"I would’ve filmed for Creed 3 probably two weeks ago. But I turned it down and that’s like the fourth one I’ve turned down because [MMA] is what I’m doing right now. I’m great at this. I’m learning a lot at this.” [H/t Middle Easy]

The Nigerian New Zealander refused to rule out stepping into acting in the future, however. He added:

“Hollywood is right there, it’s always gonna be there. Voiceover work is right there. I have a lot of anime ideas I’m gonna put out there as my production company."

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Israel Adesanya issues statement after video of street altercation goes viral

Israel Adesanya recently issued a statement offering some clarity after a video of him getting into an altercation with a man on the street went viral.

In the video, Adesanya is seen arguing with a man while standing next to his car on Karangahape Road in Auckland, New Zealand. The UFC star appears to spit in the direction of the alleged aggressor and can be heard telling him to "walk away."

Watch the video here:

'The Last Stylebender' has since filed a complaint against the man, where he alleged the incident started after he was racially abused and challenged to a fight. Shared by the New Zealand Herald, Adesanya's statement reads:

"I am extremely disappointed after an incident on Wednesday when a random member of the public stopped his car, racially abused me, and challenged me to a fight. We have been in contact with police and will be pressing charges. On Wednesday morning, I was leaving a cafe on K Rd when a passing car slowed, and an occupant began yelling racial abuse and challenging me to fight. I smiled, waved it off, and continued to my car."

Check out the full statement here.