Israel Adesanya apologizes for controversial 9/11 comments towards Yoel Romero
Israel Adesanya has issued an apology for the controversial comments about 9/11 towards Yoel Romero.
In the lead up to UFC 248, Adesanya has done several media tours and during a press conference trash-talking Romero. But it appears his one line about 9/11 crossed the line.
“He’s a guy no one wants to fight,” Adesanya said at a press conference in New Zealand. “Boogeyman, everyone keeps saying, oh – even Darren Till – ‘I’ll fight anyone except Yoel.’ Like, why? I’ve seen him get rocked, I ’ve seen him get stopped. I’ve seen him get bloodied, I ’ve seen him cry. I’ll make him cry.
“He’s human like anyone else, and everyone likes to make this myth about, ‘Oh, he’s steel, like kicking steel,’ or you hit him and he doesn’t fall. I’ll touch him enough times. I’ll touch him enough times and eventually he’ll crumble like the Twin Towers.”
Now, following backlash about the comment, Israel Adesanya took to his Instagram story to release a statement and an apology for the comments.
“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.”
Israel Adesanya is looking for his first title defense in the main event of UFC 248 against Yoel Romero. The Kiwi won the belt back at UFC 243 with a second-round knockout win over Robert Whittaker to unify the belts after beating Kelvin Gastelum to win the interim strap. He is currently undefeated in MMA and many view him as the next superstar in the UFC.
