Popular Nigerian UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya has pleaded guilty to driving and drinking in his home country of New Zealand on Monday morning.
His team told ESPN that Israel pleaded guilty to the incident which happened Aug. 19, while Adesanya was driving with 87 milligrams of alcohol per 100 milliliters of blood.
“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,” Adesanya said in a statement provided to ESPN. “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.”
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Per his team, Adesanya was driving home after a dinner with friends in Auckland and “encountered a Random Breath Testing unit.” The court date Monday was a summons hearing. He must return for sentencing Jan. 10, his team said.
Adesanya was returning from dinner with friends when he ‘encountered a Random Breath Testing unit’ in Auckland, and he could face up to a $2,680 fine and/or three months in jail, according to ESPN.
