Adesanya flirts with three months jail-term for drunk-driving

Israel Adesanya (Photo by Carmen Mandato / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP)

Former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) middleweight champion, Israel Adesanya, is at risk of being jailed for three months after pleading guilty to drunk-driving charges in New Zealand.

The incident, which sees Adesanya flirting with imprisonment, reportedly occurred on August 19, 2023.

That was three weeks before he suffered a defeat at the hands of Sean Strickland in UFC 293.

Adesanya was reported to have encountered a random breath testing unit in Auckland after having dinner with friends.

The test thereafter revealed that the Nigerian-born UFC fighter had as much as 87 milligrams of alcohol per 100 milliliters of blood in his system.

This, according to the authorities was well above the legal limit of 50 milligrams in New Zealand.

According to a report from ESPN, the 34-years-old mixed martial artist could face up to a $2,680 fine and/or three months in jail.

The same report has disclosed that Adesanya will be back in court on January 10, 2024, for sentencing.

After pleading guilty at the Auckland District Court, Adesanya released a statement to The New Zealand Herald.

“I want to apologise to the community, my family and my team for the decision I made to get behind the wheel after drinking at a dinner,” he said.

“I was pulled over and gave an evidentiary blood test; the reading was 87 milligrams of alcohol per 100 milliliters of blood.

“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 behaviour is acceptable.”

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