UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya apologized for his recent comments where he referenced the 9/11 attacks.
During the UFC 248 press conference on Friday, Adesanya discussed how he wasn’t fazed by Yoel Romero being a painful target to hit. “The Last Stylebender” went on to add that Romero was human and that he would eventually make him “crumble like the Twin Towers.”
That comment didn’t go down well with certain sections of fans but more so with UFC middleweight contender Paulo Costa — initially slated to face Adesanya next — who promised to make him pay for that remark.
“Adesanya, you are a disgusting piece of s*it,” Costa wrote on Twitter. “How dare you make a joke disrespecting the thousands who died and the heroic firefighters and police. I will really kill you, dirty kiwi.”
Adesanya has since come out and apologized for his comments:
“I never made a joke about people dying or made light of the tragic event that was 9/11,” Adesanya wrote on his Instagram story. “I was simply rambling and my brain worked faster than my mouth in a moment to chose the wrong euphemism.
“You speak on the mic enough times and you’re bound to miss the mark with some bars. I did on this one and for that I’m sorry. I’ll be more careful in future with my words.”
Adesanya is set to defend his middleweight title against Romero at UFC 248 on March 7. Should he have a first successful title defense, he will likely face Costa next.
What do you think of Adesanya’s response?