UFC CEO Dana White is thankful no lives were truly endangered by former middleweight champion Israel Adesanya’s drink-driving incident.
Weeks after Adesanya (24-3 MMA, 13-3 UFC) lost his title to Sean Strickland in a major upset at UFC 293 in Sydney, it was revealed that 18 days before the fight he’d been pulled over and charged with drink-driving in his home country of New Zealand.
When the news surfaced to the public after Adesanya appeared in court, the questions about his mental state going into and in the aftermath of the fight with Strickland came further into question than had already been.
Adesanya apologized for his actions and expressed embarrassment, but the speculation around him remains. White commented on the situation for the first time Tuesday following Dana White’s Contender Series 64 at the UFC Apex, and he expressed hope this is an uncharacteristic situation for Adesanya, and not the beginning of a trend.
“Bad decisions, man,” White told MMA Junkie and other reporters. “No matter how many drinks you’ve had – if you drink, don’t drive. Especially, it’s one thing, Ubering is easy, but when you have that kind of money that kid has, get a driver. Have somebody drive you or Uber or whatever.
“He made a bad decision. Thank God nobody was hurt. Him or nobody else. You know what I say about mistakes: How do you handle them after you make them? Hopefully, that’s a one-and-done for him, and he never does it again.”
White has not commented further on what the future holds for Adesanya or the 185-pound division. He stated in the immediate aftermath of UFC 293 that “The Last Stylebender” would likely get a rematch, but has since backed off any firm decisions.
