UFC superstar Israel Adesanya was briefly arrested at New York’s JFK airport for criminal possession of a weapon.
Adesanya was attempting to pass through airport security at 2pm local time when he was flagged by staff for carrying metal knuckles, according to TMZ Sports.
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Brass knuckles are illegal in the state of New York and Adesanya was picked up and briefly taken into custody by Transportation Security Administration staff who found the banned item in his possession.
But Adesanya was quickly released by the Port Authority Police Department after explaining he had been given the knuckles as a gift by a fan in the airport.
“Israel was handed a gift by a fan, which he put in his luggage,” Adesanya’s manager Tim Simpson said in a statement.
“When flagged at the airport, Israel quickly disposed of the item, and co-operated with authorities. He has complied accordingly, with that the matter was dismissed and he is on his way home.”
If Adesanya had been charged and convicted, he could have faced one year in prison and fines.
The incident occurred as the 33-year-old was travelling back to New Zealand after he was dethroned as the UFC middleweight champion by Alex Pereira at UFC 281 last weekend at Madison Square Garden.
Adesanya had been leading their middleweight title fight on the scorecards until Pereira knocked him out early in the fifth round to claim a surprise victory.
The Kiwi star had lost to Pereira twice before in kickboxing fights but this latest defeat was just the second of his MMA career.
Adesanya had five successful middleweight title defences during his reign at the top of the division, but the result opens the door for Australian Robert Whitaker to challenge for the belt Adesanya took from him in 2019.
