Former two-time middleweight titleholder Israel Adesanya has escaped a drunk driving conviction in Auckland, New Zealand. The MMA superstar…
Former two-time middleweight titleholder Israel Adesanya has escaped a drunk driving conviction in Auckland, New Zealand.
The MMA superstar was pulled over on August 19, 2023, three weeks ahead of his UFC 293 title loss to Sean Strickland, and failed a blood alcohol test, blowing 87 mg per 100 mL which is significantly over the the 50 mg legal limit and narrowly exceeding the 80 mg threshold to turn the incident into a jailable offense. Per a report from MMA Mania, ‘The Last Stylebender’ faced up to three months behind bars and a $4,500 fine.
However, Adesanya’s lawyer, Karl Trotter, indicated that a conviction would come with “adverse consequences” that would be “monumental” to his client.
Trotter was specifically referring to an affidavit confirming that Adesanya may have to repay up to 50 percent of a six-figure sponsorship if the deal was terminated because of bad behavior on his part. Adesanya would also face travel restrictions, preventing him from making a trip to Canada later this month for the UFC 297 pay-per-view in Toronto.
Israel Adesanya Shown Leniency in New Zealand Court
In the end, Adesanya’s good standing with the country and his charitable contributions earned him some leniency with New Zealand Judge Peter Winter. “You’ve bought credit on the country … I accept that in all other respects, you are an exemplary citizen,” he said before delivering a six-month driving suspension and a $1,500 fine. He must also complete an anti-drunk-driving program.
| Israel Adesanya avoided a conviction at Auckland District Court this morning after recently pleading guilty to driving drunk in Auckland, New Zealand, on Aug. 19 last year.
Adesanya received a six-month ban from driving, was ordered to pay $1500 to an accredited drink-drive… pic.twitter.com/P2rmbHBc56
After surrendering his title for the second time in less than a year, Adesanya opted to take some time away from the Octagon. Despite that, rumors have continued to fly about his potential return at the promotion’s next big milestone event, UFC 300, on April 13.
No official announcements have been made, but the ‘Stylebender’ is expected to be in attendance for this month’s highly anticipated middleweight title tilt between Sean Strickland and Dricus Du Plessis.
(Oh, *now* you’re smiling?! / Nick Diaz mugshot via lodinews.com)
Because the Man is always trying to keep a good homey down, UFC welterweight star Nick Diaz was arrested in Lodi early last Saturday morning, September 6th, on suspicion of DUI, obstructing a police officer, destruction of evidence* and driving with a suspended license.
According to Sgt. Mike Kermgard of the Lodi Police Department, Diaz was arrested by Cpl. Eric Bradley at 2:20 a.m. after being stopped while driving down the 600 block of East Pine Street, wherever that is. Diaz is expected to be arraigned later this month.
The older brother of UFC lightweight Nate Diaz and estranged son of the Unabomber, Nick Diaz is scheduled to meet former middleweight champion Anderson Silva in a superfight at UFC 183 on January 31st. This incident will not interfere with that fight happening, trust me. We’ll pass along more details when we have them.
* I’m gonna take a wild guess and say, “he threw his weed out the window.”
(Oh, *now* you’re smiling?! / Nick Diaz mugshot via lodinews.com)
Because the Man is always trying to keep a good homey down, UFC welterweight star Nick Diaz was arrested in Lodi early last Saturday morning, September 6th, on suspicion of DUI, obstructing a police officer, destruction of evidence* and driving with a suspended license.
According to Sgt. Mike Kermgard of the Lodi Police Department, Diaz was arrested by Cpl. Eric Bradley at 2:20 a.m. after being stopped while driving down the 600 block of East Pine Street, wherever that is. Diaz is expected to be arraigned later this month.
The older brother of UFC lightweight Nate Diaz and estranged son of the Unabomber, Nick Diaz is scheduled to meet former middleweight champion Anderson Silva in a superfight at UFC 183 on January 31st. This incident will not interfere with that fight happening, trust me. We’ll pass along more details when we have them.
* I’m gonna take a wild guess and say, “he threw his weed out the window.”
Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fighter Tito Ortiz was arrested early Monday morning on suspicion of driving under the influence after a single-car collision in West Los Angeles, the California Highway Patrol said in a press release.
The popular athlete, whose birth name is Jacob Christopher Ortiz, was taken into custody around 4:00 a.m. after his car crashed on the 405 Freeway near Sepulveda and Santa Monica boulevards, the CHP said.
“Ortiz was driving northbound on the I-405 when he lost control of his vehicle and struck the concrete center median,” the press release said.
Ortiz, 38, was driving a 2012 Porsche Panamera and had two passengers in the car, according to the CHP. The vehicle was moderately damaged and no one was injured, the CHP said.
(Sorry, Tito. Not every vehicular experience can be this positive. / Photo via Getty)
Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fighter Tito Ortiz was arrested early Monday morning on suspicion of driving under the influence after a single-car collision in West Los Angeles, the California Highway Patrol said in a press release.
The popular athlete, whose birth name is Jacob Christopher Ortiz, was taken into custody around 4:00 a.m. after his car crashed on the 405 Freeway near Sepulveda and Santa Monica boulevards, the CHP said.
“Ortiz was driving northbound on the I-405 when he lost control of his vehicle and struck the concrete center median,” the press release said.
Ortiz, 38, was driving a 2012 Porsche Panamera and had two passengers in the car, according to the CHP. The vehicle was moderately damaged and no one was injured, the CHP said.
Officers took Ortiz into custody on suspicion of misdemeanor DUI. “He was transported to LAPD-77th Division for medical clearance and chemical testing and was booked without incident,” the CHP said.
(Step 1: Find a lawyer. Step 2: Explain that your ear didn’t look like that before the accident. Step 3: Collect large settlement. Step 4: Celebrate.)
If one more Brazilian UFC champion becomes involved in a car accident this month, we can officially start calling this a trend. Just a day after we reported that Jose Aldo was hit by a car while riding his motorcycle in Rio de Janeiro, MMA Convert passed along word that heavyweight champ Junior Dos Santos was the victim of a hit-and-run while driving in Salvador, Brazil, last week. As JDS explained on his twitter (which was helpfully translated into Broken English by MMAConvert):
“The transit of Salvador giving this fear. They just hit my car and did not stop, continued to follow the path as if it were normal. Please let us be more aware and respect others. You win nothing with violence and disrespect. Crossing and follow in peace.”
Dos Santos escaped the incident without injury, and is still scheduled to defend his title against Cain Velasquez at UFC 155 on December 29th.
Speaking of dangerous drivers…
(Step 1: Find a lawyer. Step 2: Explain that your ear didn’t look like that before the accident. Step 3: Collect large settlement. Step 4: Celebrate.)
If one more Brazilian UFC champion becomes involved in a car accident this month, we can officially start calling this a trend. Just a day after we reported that Jose Aldo was hit by a car while riding his motorcycle in Rio de Janeiro, MMA Convert passed along word that heavyweight champ Junior Dos Santos was the victim of a hit-and-run while driving in Salvador, Brazil, last week. As JDS explained on his twitter (which was helpfully translated into Broken English by MMAConvert):
“The transit of Salvador giving this fear. They just hit my car and did not stop, continued to follow the path as if it were normal. Please let us be more aware and respect others. You win nothing with violence and disrespect. Crossing and follow in peace.”
Dos Santos escaped the incident without injury, and is still scheduled to defend his title against Cain Velasquez at UFC 155 on December 29th.
Speaking of dangerous drivers…
UFC heavyweight gatekeeper Christian Morecraft — who is riding back-to-back knockout losses against Matt Mitrione and Pat Barry — has now joined the UFC’s exclusive club of drunk-drivers, which also includes Chris Leben, Josh Neer, Ross Pearson, and Jon Jones. Over the weekend, Morecraft was charged with operating under the influence, after he refused a breathalyzer test following a traffic stop. As CageJunkies explains:
The word “operating” is actually more encompassing (and more accurate) than “driving” because almost all states make it illegal to “operate or be in actual physical control” of a motor vehicle. This means that you can be sitting in your car, off the side of the road, with the engine running and the car in park, and asleep, yet still be charged with OUI. The states that have OUI as their acronym are Maine, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island. Morecraft trains out of Hyannis, Massachusetts.
Following the arrest, Morecraft posted the following on his Facebook page:
“Aa good man is an honest man and i made a mistake, After a long work week and a good week of training I hit a speed bump, I beat myself I had a few beers and grabbed a bite to eat I got pulled over and asked to take a breathalyzer I refused so I was arrested and charged with an OUI ….I apologize to the community the UFC and CAPE COD INSULLATION my family friends.”
(R.I.P Geico Gecko. May your free soul never again be confused with a half-rate car insurance plan.)
You gotta love being a world famous sports figure, amirite? Every move examined under a magnifying glass, a legion of people claiming to hate you despite having never come within 100 miles of you before — it sounds fucking wonderful. Just ask Jon Jones. After he got a little tipsy behind the wheel with a couple of friends and wrecked his Bentley in the process, he no more than could check his pants for a bowl of chocolate pudding before said legions of the blind were ready and waiting to bash him anonymously or throw him their undying support.
Don’t be mistaken, Jones had some of the hate coming. The fact that he stated just one month before his brush up with the law that he would never, you know, have a brush up with the law or anything, made his fall from that high horse all the more painful. But so heavy lies the crown, in fact, that the guys over at Sportsnet called upon such UFC stars as Dominick Cruz, Junior dos Santos, and Frank Mir among other to help us cope with this devastating situation.
If you can’t tell by the sarcasm plastered across the last sentence, we are more willing to forgive Jones for his actions than most. The case seems to be the same with Mir, who was content to give the “we all make mistakes” response when questioned on the issue:
I get mad at people that are quick to judge him, you know, ‘How could you ever drink and drive?!’ And I’m not ever going to say it’s right; it’s wrong to drink and drive. But if you’re a person who drinks, and you’re going to tell me that you’ve never gotten behind the wheel when you’ve had more than one beer an hour, or one shot, or one glass of wine; you’ve drove when you shouldn’t have, and you made a mistake.
The difference is, is that he got bit on his bad mistake. The good thing that now, maybe he can learn from it now, and not continue to do that on, but we all fall down. The point is that you get back up and march forward, you acknowledge what you did…I want to meet the person that’s never screwed up.
(R.I.P Geico Gecko. May your free soul never again be confused with a half-rate car insurance plan.)
You gotta love being a world famous sports figure, amirite? Every move examined under a magnifying glass, a legion of people claiming to hate you despite having never come within 100 miles of you before — it sounds fucking wonderful. Just ask Jon Jones. After he got a little tipsy behind the wheel with a couple of friends and wrecked his Bentley in the process, he no more than could check his pants for a bowl of chocolate pudding before said legions of the blind were ready and waiting to bash him anonymously or throw him their undying support.
Don’t be mistaken, Jones had some of the hate coming. The fact that he stated just one month before his brush up with the law that he would never, you know, have a brush up with the law or anything, made his fall from that high horse all the more painful. But so heavy lies the crown, in fact, that the guys over at Sportsnet called upon such UFC stars as Dominick Cruz, Junior dos Santos, and Frank Mir among other to help us cope with this devastating situation.
If you can’t tell by the sarcasm plastered across the last sentence, we are more willing to forgive Jones for his actions than most. The case seems to be the same with Mir, who was content to give the “we all make mistakes” response when questioned on the issue:
I get mad at people that are quick to judge him, you know, ‘How could you ever drink and drive?!’ And I’m not ever going to say it’s right; it’s wrong to drink and drive. But if you’re a person who drinks, and you’re going to tell me that you’ve never gotten behind the wheel when you’ve had more than one beer an hour, or one shot, or one glass of wine; you’ve drove when you shouldn’t have, and you made a mistake.
The difference is, is that he got bit on his bad mistake. The good thing that now, maybe he can learn from it now, and not continue to do that on, but we all fall down. The point is that you get back up and march forward, you acknowledge what you did…I want to meet the person that’s never screwed up.
I don’t know about you, Potato Nation, but I side with Mir on this issue. We’re all human, and we like to treat celebrities as if they are something more than that. The television, the internet — they are like our rear windows into the rest of the world, the strip of land that prevents our peninsulas from breaking away from the motherland, if you will. And as Alfred Hitchcock already showed us, viewing someone’s life through one of these rear windows can truly warp one’s perception in regards to forming an opinion of another person. Granted, Jimmy Stewart’s character happened to be correct in his assumptions in that movie, but what I’m trying to say is that until you truly know the man, don’t be so quick to label him as a terrible person for making a couple of mistakes. We all have.
Then again, Jones could always go with dos Santos’ advice and never drink again, a bit of information that my brain can simply not compute.
UFC light-heavyweight champ Jon Jones took the first step towards getting this unfortunate drunk-driving business behind him by pleading guilty to his DWI charge in a Binghamton, NY, court this morning. WBNG Action News has the details:
Jones entered into a plea deal with the District Attorney’s office Tuesday in Binghamton City Court. Under the terms of the deal he pled guilty to Driving While Intoxicated. Two traffic violations, one for an improper turn and another for deviating from a direct course were dismissed. Jones’ Attorney told the judge the agreement for punishment is a fine and a conditional discharge.
UFC light-heavyweight champ Jon Jones took the first step towards getting this unfortunate drunk-driving business behind him by pleading guilty to his DWI charge in a Binghamton, NY, court this morning. WBNG Action News has the details:
Jones entered into a plea deal with the District Attorney’s office Tuesday in Binghamton City Court. Under the terms of the deal he pled guilty to Driving While Intoxicated. Two traffic violations, one for an improper turn and another for deviating from a direct course were dismissed. Jones’ Attorney told the judge the agreement for punishment is a fine and a conditional discharge.
Police say Jones was behind the wheel of his 2012 Bentley which crashed into a telephone pole near the corner of Grand Boulevard and Helen Street on May 19, 2012. Jones’ license is now temporarily suspended. He will be back in court for sentencing on June 19, 2012. Jones must also complete an alcohol abuse and dependency assessment before sentencing.
Jones is still scheduled to defend his belt against Dan Henderson at UFC 151 (September 1st, Las Vegas). As long as he doesn’t royally shit the bed during that upcoming alcohol dependency assessment, it should be business as usual for Bones.
| Israel Adesanya avoided a conviction at Auckland District Court this morning after recently pleading guilty to driving drunk in Auckland, New Zealand, on Aug. 19 last year.
| Israel Adesanya avoided a conviction at Auckland District Court this morning after recently pleading guilty to driving drunk in Auckland, New Zealand, on Aug. 19 last year.
