UFC: Israel Adesanya says sorry for 9/11 comment – ‘you’re bound to miss the mark with some bars’

Adesanya says ‘my brain worked faster than my mouth’ after ‘Twin Towers’ comment causes uproar on social media

‘I’ll be more careful in future with my words,’ says middleweight champion

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Israel Adesanya talks during a press conference for UFC 248 in Houston, Texas, in February. Photo: AFP

Published: 3:03pm, 24 Feb 2020Updated: 3:03pm, 24 Feb 2020

UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya has apologised for a controversial 9/11 comment made at a press conference in Auckland last weekend.

The Nigerian-New Zealander (18-0), who defends his belt against Yoel Romero (13-4) at UFC 248 in March, said he would strike the Cuban veteran “and eventually he’ll crumble like the Twin Towers”. The comment infuriated divisional contender Paulo Costa, who vowed to “really kill” Adesanya for “disrespecting the thousands who died” on September 11 attacks in 2001.

Adesanya soon took to social media to address fans’ uproar, saying his “brain worked faster than my mouth”. Alongside a simple caption of a sad emoji, Adesanya posted screenshots of an introspective fan comment and his official response.

“The comment in the last story sums up how I feel about this situation,” Adesanya said via his Instagram story. “I never made a joke about people dying or made light of the tragic event that was 9/11. I was simply rambling and my brain worked faster than my mouth in a moment to chose 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 future with my words.”