Israel Adesanya was looking at a term of a year in jail due to a gift from a fan. The beloved middleweight champion has been both a crowd puller and crowd favorite since his UFC debut. However, his fans landed him in trouble when he was arrested at JFK airport for possessing brass knuckles. Further, the situation could have taken an uglier turn if he would have carried a samurai sword, another gift from a fan, to the airport.

‘The Last Stylebender’ since then developed an aversion to taking any gift from the fans. The fans usually express their love and passion for the athlete through gifts as a token. While some athletes believe themselves as fortunate to be loved by fans, others, such as Adesanya, land into trouble. Therefore, he has decided against accepting the token of appreciation and love from fans heavy-hearted.

Israel Adesanya reveals reasons behind his hesitancy to accept gifts from fans

The Nigerian-Kiwi fighter told Ariel Helwani on the latest segment of The MMA Hour how he landed in a prison cell because of a gift that he took from a fan.

After narrating his prison cell experience, he revealed he didn’t take gifts as some people might be “weird” or could place “weird things”. He then has to look for excuses.

He said, “That’s why I don’t take any gifts from my fans ’cause also some people might be weird. They might put some juju or some weird thing, you know.”

Further, he also recalled one incident when a fan approached him with an old sweatshirt which he had to turn down after fabricating an excuse.

The 33-year-old stated, “Shouts to fans. They are cool. And once they saw I was taking gifts, guys will bring like, this guy brought an old sweatshirt. Bro, this is Nike, I’m Puma. I just gave an excuse, but yeah, it is what it is.”

Israel Adesanya is currently interested in squaring off against the surging contender Dricus du Plessis after concluding his rivalry with Alex Pereira in the promotion.

Read More: Following ‘Stylebender’ Documentary Premiere, Israel Adesanya Promises Showcase of “Vulnerable” Side as Fans Join Celebration Over UFC Champ’s Story

What do you think of the UFC champion Israel Adesanya and his reluctance to take gifts from fans? Do you think the middleweight kingpin can be flexible in his approach? Let us know in the comments below.

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