UFC’s Israel Adesanya ‘arrested at airport carrying brass knuckles’ after loss

A bad few days in America for Israel Adesanya got worse on Wednesday when the UFC star was arrested at JFK Airport in New York.

On Saturday, 'The Last Stylebender' lost his middleweight title in savage fashion to long time rival Alex Pereira. Despite being ahead on the cards going into the final round, Adesanya was subjected to a string of brutal punches from Pereira, who took the title via TKO.

It was Adesanya's first defeat at middleweight level, and ended his three year reign as champion. But as he sought to fly home to New Zealand, he encountered more problems after being caught with the sort of equipment he could have done with using at UFC 281.

READ NOW: Drake loses £1.7million after betting on Israel Adesanya to beat Alex Pereira at UFC 281

The 33-year-old was arrested for criminal possession of a weapon after allegedly being busted going through security with brass knuckles. According to TMZ, the arrest was made by the Port Authority Police Department shortly before 2pm.

Brass knuckles are illegal in the state of New York. It's also illegal to carry them with you or in your luggage, although it is as yet unclear as to where the item was stored. Being arrested and charged for possession of a class A misdemeanour in America can mean a jail sentence of up to a year.

Late on Wednesday night though, the fighter's manager Tim Simpson explained his man had been freed by officers to return home. He also claimed the brass knuckles did not belong to the Nigerian born star.

Do you want to see Israel Adesanya fight Alez Pereira in a rematch? Let us know in the comments section.

“Israel was handed a gift by a fan, which he put in his luggage," said Simpson. "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.”

Adesanya, widely regarded as one of the best strikers in MMA, both offensively and defensively, has now lost just twice in 25 fights. But he wasn't the only one counting the cost of his defeat.

Rap star Drake bet £1.7 million on the champion to retain his belt at Madison Suqare Garden. It proved the latest in a long line of huge sporting gambles to have gone wrong for the man also dubbed 'Champagne Papi'.

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