Israel Adesanya has issued an apology for his controversial comments toward Yoel Romero at a recent UFC 248 news conference.
Adesanya (18-0 MMA, 7-0 UFC), the UFC’s middleweight champion who meets Romero (13-4 MMA, 9-3 UFC) in the title fight headliner on March 7 in Las Vegas, got himself in some hot water for saying he would make his opponent “crumble like the Twin Towers.”
The comment was in reference to the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center in New York, which killed nearly 3,000 people. There was no shortage of backlash for the statement, including a harsh response from 185-pound contender Paulo Costa.
Adesanya, who does not have a reputation of those types of slip-ups, but typically stands boldly behind anything he says, appears to recognize he was in the wrong. Sunday, he posted an apology and offered an explanation.
“I never made a joke about people dying or made light of the tragic event that was 9/11,” Adesanya wrote on his Instagram Stories. “I was simply rambling and my brain worked faster than my mouth in a moment to (choose) the wrong euphemism. You speak on the mic enough times and you’re bound to miss the mark with some bars. I did on this one and for that I’m sorry. I’ll be more careful in (the) future with my words.”
Although Adesanya’s apology is sure to cause a range of reactions, he’s already done more than most in similarly controversial situations by acknowledging an error in judgement.
Now Adesanya can put the drama aside and focus on making his first official title defense against Romero at UFC 248, which goes down at T-Mobile Arena and airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN and ESPN+/UFC Fight Pass.
UFC champ Israel Adesanya apologizes for 9/11 comment: 'I'll be more careful'
