Israel Adesanya says he was not the aggressor during a recent confrontation with a man in New Zealand… claiming the other guy started the whole incident by uttering a racial slur.
A source close to the UFC star said TMZ Sports …while Izzy was parking his car on a road in his home country, the guy appeared out of nowhere and started calling him N.
Soon after, our source says the man challenged Adesanya to a fight.
A guy tried to start a fight with Izzy photo.twitter.com/Hkw3zMA0dY
— Dovy🔌 (@DovySimuMMA) September 5, 2024
@DovySimuMMA
In a video filmed by a witness — which has now gone viral on social media — it’s difficult to make out what either man is saying… though it’s clear both parties were upset with each other.
Fortunately, the fight never turned physical… and the two men eventually went their separate ways.
Adesanya is due to speak about the incident at an anti-street violence charity on Thursday.
The 35-year-old was last seen in public two weeks ago… when he lost a league match with Dricus Du Plessis in Australia.
