Israel Adesanya has apologized after making a comment on Yoel Romero involving the Twin Towers.
Adesanya is set to defend his UFC middleweight championship against Romero on March 7 at UFC 248. During a press conference in Auckland, Adesanya said he plans to make Romero “crumble like the Twin Towers.” The comment didn’t sit well with some including fellow middleweight Paulo Costa, who took to Twitter and called Adesanya a “piece of sh*t.”
Israel Adesanya Apologizes Over Twin Towers Comment
Adesanya was quick to respond to the backlash he has received over the comment. “The Last Stylebender” addressed his words during a live chat on social media, saying that he didn’t mean to make light of the tragic event that took place on Sept. 11, 2001 (h/t BJPenn.com).
“I never made a joke about people dying or made light of the tragic event that was 9/11,” Israel Adesanya explained. “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.”
When Adesanya meets Romero next month, it’ll be the first time he puts the 185-pound gold on the line. He became the undisputed UFC middleweight champion back in Oct. 2019. Adesanya stopped Robert Whittaker via second-round TKO. Going into the bout, Adesanya held interim gold.
Adesanya is a perfect 18-0 in his pro MMA career. Up to this point, he’s beaten the likes of Whittaker, Kelvin Gastelum, Anderson Silva, Derek Brunson, and Brad Tavares to name a few. If he can add Romero to the list, it would be a solid addition to an already impressive resume for Adesanya.
What do you make of Israel Adesanya’s comment? Did Paulo Costa overreact or did Izzy deserve some flak?
