UFC star Israel Adesanya seemed to come close to throwing hands outside the octagon during a recent roadside incident in Auckland, New Zealand.
Fortunately for the other driver, though, the only thing Adesanya appeared to let fly during the incident on Wednesday — which was caught on video — was a loogie, according to Fox News.
The altercation, which comes on the heels of Adesanya’s middleweight title loss to South African Dricus du Plessis last month at UFC 305 in Perth, Australia, didn’t result in punches being thrown but harsh words were exchanged.
“Try me. Yeah, I get paid for this s—,” Adesanya, 35, said as he stood beside his parked sports car. “F— off. Go drive your beat-up f—ing s—. F— you, b—-.”
The video ended with Adesanya apparently saying “I pray for you to try me” repeatedly before spitting at him.
On Thursday, Adesanya sent a statement to the New Zealand Herald explaining that the other man involved in the incident used racially charged language and that he has filed a complaint with the police.
“I am extremely disappointed after an incident on Wednesday when a random member of the public stopped his car, racially abused me, and challenged me to a fight,” Adesanya said in the statement. “We have been in contact with police and will be pressing charges.”
Adesanya said the incident began after he left a cafe in Auckland, when a passing car slowed and the occupant “began yelling racial abuse” and wanting to fight.
“I smiled, waved it off, and continued to my car,” Adesanya explained in his statement. “The vehicle stopped, and the abuse continued. I again waved it off. The car then parked, and the passenger got out, approached me aggressively, continued his torrent of abuse, and demanded I fight him. I tried to de-escalate the situation repeatedly. As he got closer, I asked bystanders to call the police.
“He then entered my personal space, and I felt threatened. To protect myself, I became more forceful in my language and defensive. Though he paused, the abuse continued, so I left him with some choice words, cautiously moved to my car, and drove away.
“It’s ridiculous that I can’t buy a pie after training without some idiot screaming despicable things and asking for a fight while his mates film from the sidelines.”