Israel Adesanya can certainly handle himself in the UFC, which has helped even in fast-food restaurant Burger King.
‘The Last Stylebender’ returned to the top of the UFC middleweight division getting his revenge against Alex Pereira earlier this year in their trilogy fight.
Things are looking up for the Nigerian who has a huge fanbase and is considered one of the biggest stars on Dana White’s roster, which could increase further with big fights against Khamzat Chimaev and Dricus Du Plessis.
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Having had a remarkable journey inside the cage, his story of how he got into combat sports was a turbulent one.
Israel Adesanya’s arrest after UFC 281 loss
Adesanya was facing a torrid time after losing his middleweight crown to ‘Poatan’ in New York last year, and as he flew home to take a break a nightmare situation unfolded.
The 33-year-old was arrested at JFK airport in New York after being in possession of knuckledusters which was illegal in the state, but he was given them by fans as a gift.
The court case was later dismissed and Adesanya faced no criminal charges, but he has revealed he was incarcerated for 45 minutes.
He said on Ariel Helwani’s MMA Hour: “I remember just thinking like, ‘wow, okay, this is crazy’. Like I was just fighting the Madison Square Garden literally a few days ago, and now I’m in the cell [after] the airport.
“This is why now I don’t take gifts from fans. That’s the only time I’m being arrested in America. And knock on wood, it’s the last time I’d be arrested in America or anywhere in the world.”
Israel Adesanya’s Burger King brawl
However, he was to reveal shortly afterward that it wasn’t the first arrest he had faced in his life, having been involved in a huge brawl before his UFC career in 2010.
He added: “2010, I had a fight. It was me vs. four dudes in Burger King on Queen Street in Auckland. He was harassing my friend’s girlfriend and I just turned around, and I handled him and his friends.
“They put me in cuffs, right? Never throw a kick in a street fight, cause then I slipped, and I got up and I f***ed the other dude up.
And I looked at the officer, and I was like, ‘I told you’, and that’s why I don’t have a criminal record.
“Because they looked at the footage and realized I was just defending myself when I was defending my friend and his partner because of some idiots.”
Adesanya’s achievements inside the cage will always be remembered, and he is planning on having a continued run of success in the UFC as he continues his journey.