Israel Adesanya believes New Zealand has become a laughing stock due to the COVID-19 measures that prime minister Jacinda Ardern continues to put in place.
‘The Last Stylebender’ has been outspoken about his belief that the restrictions imposed, and the lockdown measures implemented by the New Zealand government were far too strict. Adesanya is now embarrassed that despite the fact they have lived through such tough conditions the country is still lagging behind the rest of the world when it comes to learning to live with COVID-19.
“The start of this pandemic, I was like, ‘What the f**k?’ because I was like scared,” Adesanya said. “So when the first lockdown hit, it felt like the purge. [The lockdown measures were] very, very strict and that’s why ‘we kicked COVID’s a**’ and then we just delayed that sh*t. F**king look at us now, we are the laughing stock of the world. Let’s laugh at us again. Yeah, we’re behind now. It’s stupid, some of the stuff they’re implementing.” (Transcribed by Sportskeeda)
Israel Adesanya & Co Considered Moving To America
The restrictions have been so strict in New Zealand that Adesanya and his City Kickboxing teammates have found it difficult to train for their fights.
At one point the team seemed set to relocate to the U.S. as the restrictions had become too difficult to live with. The lockdown measures were eventually eased and City Kickboxing confirmed they would stay put in Auckland.
Adesanya has been so angered by the New Zealand COVID-19 protocols that he has vowed to never fight in his home country ever again.
“You will never see me fight in New Zealand ever again,” Adesanya said in a video posted to his YouTube channel in September 2021. “All that money, they can get it from somewhere else. Their rugbys, their crickets and all the others they’re giving exemptions to, but you will never ever see me fight on these shores [again]. That was one of my dreams, to headline a stadium in my backyard. That dream’s dead in the water … that’s just the way I feel right now.”
Do you think Israel Adesanya is right? Has New Zealand become a laughing stock due to the COVID-19 measures implemented by PM Jacinda Ardern?