SUMMARY
- Isarael Adesanya was also slammed with DUI charges after pleading guilty to drunk driving in September 2023.
- Recently, the Kiwi fighter appeared before the Auckland District Court for his sentencing.
Israel Adesanya had a rather tumultuous 2023. Owing to various problems inside and outside the Octagon, Izzy has had a lot to keep up with. Notably, he was also slammed with DUI charges after pleading guilty to drunk driving in September 2023.
According to reports, Adesanya’s blood alcohol level was 87 milligrams of alcohol per 100 milliliters of blood, which exceeded the legal limit of 50 milligrams. At the time, the UFC fighter faced a maximum of 3 months of imprisonment or a fine not exceeding $4500. Recently, the Kiwi fighter appeared before the Auckland District Court for his sentencing.
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One of the main defenses put forth by Adesanya’s lawyer, Karl Trotter, was that sponsorship contracts worth hundreds of thousands of dollars would be in danger should his client be convicted. Similarly, if convicted, the former Middleweight Champion would be barred from entering Canada later this month. As such, Judge Peter Winter, taking Adesanya’s acceptance and other matters into consideration, opted to discharge him without conviction.
Notably, Israel’s low drunk driving reading and contributions to charities had swayed the judge’s mind. Notably, it was also revealed that Israel Adesanya did not try to hide his offense from the public via name suppression either. In the end, the damages that a conviction would bring were deemed out of proportion to the level of offense. With that said, Adesanya has been handed a 6-month ban from driving and ordered to pay $1500 to a drink-drive charity.
Israel Adesanya will attend UFC 297 in Canada
Thus, for the most part, this rather unnecessary situation is seemingly in the past for Israel Adesanya. Having been embroiled in numerous controversies regarding his former partner, his pet getting this one out of the way will be a sigh of relief. Notably, Adesanya has also released a statement apologizing for his actions. Additionally, he will also undertake a stop-drink-drive program.
With this matter out of the way, it once again begs the question: What is next for Israel Adesanya? As mentioned previously, one of the defenses put forth by Izzy’s lawyer was that if convicted, he would not be allowed into Canada. For those unaware, UFC 297 takes place later this month at the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Canada.
To make matters interesting, the PPV event is headlined by Sean Strickland and Dricus du Plessis. Both fighters happen to be rivals of Adesanya, with Strickland previously beating him for middleweight gold. Thus, Izzy is seemingly expected to be in attendance, likely to reignite his rivalry with whoever wins. In what would be a big moment, recent evidence suggests that they might be in for another post-fight faceoff.
Previously, Adesanya stepped into the cage after Du Plessis’ victory over Robert Whittaker at UFC 290. Should the South African fighter win on January 21, the two will likely square off once again. As such, it would also set up what Chael Sonnen believes will be the headliner for UFC 300. What do you make of the situation? Is it a coincidence, or is something being planned out? Leave your thoughts in the comments below.