Israel Adesanya has been released after being arrested on Wednesday at JFK Airport in New York while going through a security check.
This arrest happened four days after he lost his UFC middleweight championship to Brazilian professional mixed martial artist and former kickboxer, Alex Pereira.
It was learnt that Adesanya was taken into custody near JFK’s American Airlines terminal on Wednesday afternoon, just before 2:00 p.m. local time, TMZ reports.
The 33-year-old allegedly had brass knuckles with him, which are illegal in New York and is a misdemeanor offence.
If he had been convicted, he would have spent up to one year in jail plus potential fines.
ALSO READ: Pereira Defeats Israel Adesanya To Become New UFC Middleweight Champion
He was detained in police custody in New York until officials completed their investigation.
In a statement to MMA Fighting, Adesanya’s manager, Tim Simpson, said the matter had been dismissed and the UFC star was on his way home.
“Israel was handed a gift by a fan, which he put in his luggage,” Simpson said.
“When flagged at the airport, Israel quickly disposed of the item and cooperated with authorities. He has complied accordingly. With that, the matter was dismissed, and he’s on his way home.” It read.
