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By Emmanuel Adeleke
Former UFC middleweight champion, Israel Adesanya, has been arrested for taking brass knuckles through security at John F. Kennedy Airport in New York.
The 33-year-old, who lost his title by TKO to Alex Pereira in New York on Saturday, November 12, was arrested on Wednesday by Port Authority police in the American Airlines terminal.
According to UK Daily Mail, a Port Authority spokesperson at the John F. Kennedy Airport in New York confirmed the former UFC champion’s arrest, saying Adesanya was booked for possessing “metal knuckles.’”
Brass knuckles are a Class A misdemeanor in New York, and it is also illegal to bring them aboard an airplane. It’s not clear where Adesanya allegedly stored the weapon.
Spokespersons for UFC are yet to react to the incident.
Adesanya’s loss has seen him plummet down the pound-for-pound rankings, dropping from No. 2 to No. 8 on MMAfighting.com.
A native of Lagos, Nigeria, Adesanya is a citizen of New Zealand and currently lives in Auckland.
Longtime rivals, Adesanya and Pereira, went head-to-head last Saturday in a showdown for the UFC middleweight belt, where the latter emerged victorious after a brutal stoppage time TKO stoppage.
Despite accusing the referee, Marc Goddard, of calling an end to the fight prematurely, Canadian fighter and trainer, Firas Zahabi insists Adesanya should be “grateful” for the decision.