In a statement provided to ESPN, Adesanya expressed remorse for his actions, stating, “I want to apologize to the community, my family, and my team for the decision I made to get behind the wheel after drinking at a dinner. I am disappointed with my decision to drive; it was wrong. I know that people might follow me, and I want them to know I do not think this behavior is acceptable.”
According to Adesanya’s team, the incident occurred as he was driving home after a dinner gathering with friends in Auckland, where he encountered a Random Breath Testing unit. The court hearing on Monday was a summons hearing, and he is scheduled for sentencing on January 10, according to his team.
Under New Zealand law, the maximum penalty for a drunk driving charge is either three months of jail time or a fine of $2,680, as reported by the New Zealand Herald.
Adesanya, aged 34, recently lost the UFC middleweight title in a unanimous decision defeat to Sean Strickland at UFC 293 on September 10 in Sydney, Australia. Despite this setback, the Nigerian-born fighter remains a two-time UFC middleweight champion and is widely regarded as one of the greatest fighters in the history of the 185-pound division in MMA.
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