Israel Adesanya Detained, Released After Brass Knuckles Found in Luggage at JFK

Adesanya headlined UFC 281 this past weekend at Madison Square Garden, where he lost to Alex Pereira.

UFC fighter Israel Adesanya was arrested on Wednesday at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York for possession of “metal knuckles,” according to ESPN’s Marc Raimondi. The arrest occurred at 1:57 p.m. ET.

According to Adesanya’s manager, Tim Simpson, the knuckles were given to Adesanya by a fan, and the fighter put them in his luggage.

“When flagged at the airport, Israel quickly disposed of the item, and cooperated with authorities,” Simpson said in a statement. “He has complied accordingly, with that the matter was dismissed and he is on his way home.”

Adesanya, 33, headlined last weekend’s UFC 281, fighting Alex Pereira at Madison Square Garden. Pereira won via TKO in the fifth round, taking Adesanya’s middleweight championship belt. It was just the second loss of Adesanya’s professional fighting career.