Adesanya Pleads Guilty To A Drink-Driving Charge
Israel Adesanya has entered a guilty plea in relation to a drink-driving incident on August 19th, 2023.
Reports indicate that the incident in question saw Adesanya be over the legal alcohol limit of ‘50 milligrams per 100 milliliters of blood.’ As a result, Adesanya pleaded guilty on September 25th, 2023, in New Zealand. The timing of the incident was telling in that it had occurred in the month before he was set to face Sean Strickland at UFC 293 on September 9th, 2023. The fight did not go as planned, as Strickland beat Izzy to become the new UFC middleweight champion via a unanimous decision. And looking back, this was not the best preparation for a mega fight. Since then, Adesanya has come out with an apology.
Israel Adesanya pleaded guilty in court to drunk driving on Aug. 19 in his home country of New Zealand, his team told @marcraimondi.
Adesanya was driving with 87 milligrams of alcohol per 100 milliliters of blood, per his team. The legal limit in the country is 50 milligrams. pic.twitter.com/0Rj1VMN91l
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) September 24, 2023
“I want to apologize to the community, my family, and my team for the decision I made to get behind the wheel after drinking at dinner. I was pulled over and gave an evidentiary blood test. The reading was 87 milligrams of alcohol per 100 milliliters of blood. I am disappointed with my decision to drive, It was wrong. I know that people might follow me and I want them to know I do not think this behavior is acceptable,” Adesanya stated
A sentencing date will occur on January 10th, 2024. And if Adesanya is prosecuted, he could end up in prison for three months or face a fine of $2680.
Social Media Reaction
Man… didn't see this coming. Wow, sad.
— Smasher6446 (@SmasherBBS) September 24, 2023
Damn that's crazy
— UNITED DRE (@MANUTDRE) September 24, 2023
Well that’s disappointing. How will this affect him in the UFC?
— AfterSound (@AfterSoundMusic) September 25, 2023