Israel Adesanya broke his silence on his UFC 293 title loss to Sean Strickland with an interview on his YouTube channel, but much of his talking points were overshadowed when it came out Sunday that the former champ was pulled over for drunken driving in New Zealand just 18 days out from the fight.
Adesanya (24-3 MMA, 13-3 UFC) apologized for his actions in a statement after attending court to plead guilty to the charge and said he was “disappointed” in his choices, though it was not done with egregious intent as his team claims he only had a few beverages at dinner.
Nevertheless, the entire situation raises more questions about Adesanya’s mental state heading into the fight with Strickland and how seriously he took preparation en route to his lopsided unanimous decision loss earlier this month in Sydney.
