Former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) middleweight champion, Israel Adesanya, has reportedly been arrested for taking brass knuckles through security and John F. Kennedy Airport in New York, United States of America, Daily Mail reports.
Adesanya, 33, who lost his title by TKO to Alex Pereira in New York on Saturday, was arrested by Port Authority police in the American Airlines terminal at around 1:57pm EST.
A Port Authority spokesperson confirmed the arrest to DailyMail.com, saying he was booked for possessing ‘metal knuckles.’
Spokespeople from the UFC did not immediately respond to DailyMail.com’s requests for comment.
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.
Longtime rivals Adesanya and Pereira clashed on Saturday for the UFC middleweight belt, where the latter emerged victorious after a knockout win in the final round.
Despite claims that referee Marc Goddard called an end to the fight prematurely, Canadian fighter and trainer Firas Zahabi insists Adesanya should be ‘grateful’ for the decision.