UFC champion Israel Adesanya is forced to apologise for sick 9/11 remark at a press conference after vowing to make his opponent ‘crumble like the Twin Towers’
- UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya has apologised for a 9/11 remark
- He was speaking at a pre-fight press conference and aimed it at his opponent
- Over 2,000 people lost their lives during the terrorist attacking in 2001
- Adesanya will defend his middleweight title against American Yoel Romero
UFC champion Israel Adesanya has apologised for telling his opponent he would ‘crumble like the twin towers’.
The middleweight fighter made the remark during a UFC press conference call towards Yoel Romero, who he is set to fight in Las Vegas next month.
Adesanya said on his Instagram on Sunday: ‘I never made a joke about people dying or made light of the tragic event that was 9/11.
UFC champion Israel Adesanya has apologised for a 9/11 remark aimed at his next opponent
Adesanya’s opponent Yoel Romero speaks to the media during the UFC 248 Press Conference
The World Trade Center towers burst into flames after being struck by hijacked planes
‘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.’
The remark was made in reference to the terrorist attack in 2001 on September 11 in which over 2,000 people were killed as Al-Qaeda-affiliated hijackers flew two planes into the World Trade Center in New York City.
The MMA community were not impressed including middleweight contender Paulo Costa.
Costa wrote on Twitter: ‘Israel Adesanya. You are a disgusting piece of s***. How dare you make a joke disrespecting the thousands who died and the heroic firefighters and police. I will really kill you, dirty Kiwi.’
Adesanya will defend his middleweight title at next month’s UFC 248 event against Romero and could fight Costa if he wins.
Adesanya, 30, has won all 18 of his fights and was born in Lagos, Nigeria before moving to New Zealand.
His opponent, Romero, was born in Florida in the United States and has won 13 of his 17 fights losing four.