UFC star Israel Adesanya alleges racial abuse, says he’ll press charges after road rage incident

Israel Adesanya plans on taking legal action after a recent street altercation.

The former UFC champion was in the headlines earlier this week after a video surfaced online of him in a heated argument with a man. The situation appeared to be a road rage incident during the daytime, reportedly in central Auckland, New Zealand, on Wednesday.

Adesanya, born in Nigeria and living in New Zealand, opened up about the incident and claimed he was racially abused by the man, and also challenged to a fight.

“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,” Adesanya said in a statement provided to New Zealand Herald. “We have been in contact with police and will be pressing charges.

| Israel Adesanya was seemingly involved in a road rage incident, in New Zealand. #MMA #UFC pic.twitter.com/oHAYyZAtnK

— MMA Frenzy (@mma_frenzy) September 5, 2024

“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. The vehicle stopped, and the abuse continued. I again waved it off. The car then parked, and the passenger got out, approached me aggressively, continued his torrent of abuse, and demanded I fight him. I tried to de-escalate the situation repeatedly. As he got closer, I asked bystanders to call the police.

“He then entered my personal space, and I felt threatened. To protect myself, I became more forceful in my language and defensive. Though he paused, the abuse continued, so I left him with some choice words, cautiously moved to my car, and drove away.

“It’s ridiculous that I can’t buy a pie after training without some idiot screaming despicable things and asking for a fight while his mates film from the sidelines. Threatening violence is no joke. It’s very dangerous, and incidents like this must not be glorified online. I hope in the future people say something rather than get their phones out to film.”

Adesanya fought last month in the main event of UFC 305 in Perth, Australia. He lost by submission in an attempt to regain the UFC middleweight title from Dricus Du Plessis. The defeat marked Adesanya’s first fight since September 2023.

The 35-year-old is on a two-fight losing skid and 1-3 in his past four performances. Despite his recent run, Adesanya is considered by many as one of the best middleweights of all time.