UFC megastar Israel Adesanya has made a complaint to police after claiming he was racially abused in a heated exchange with a member of the public in central Auckland on Wednesday.
The 35-year-old was filmed by an onlooker with an unidentified man who Adesanya says was trying to provoke him into a confrontation.
In a statement to the Herald, Adesanya said: “I am extremely disappointed after an incident on Wednesday when a random member of the public stopped his car, racially abused me, and challenged me to a fight. We have been in contact with police and will be pressing charges.
“On Wednesday morning, I was leaving a cafe on K Rd when a passing car slowed, and an occupant began yelling racial abuse and challenging me to fight.
“I smiled, waved it off, and continued to my car. The vehicle stopped, and the abuse continued. I again waved it off. The car then parked, and the passenger got out, approached me aggressively, continued his torrent of abuse, and demanded I fight him. I tried to de-escalate the situation repeatedly. As he got closer, I asked bystanders to call the police.
