MMA

Israel Adesanya was reportedly issued an adjournment in contemplation of dismissal in his brass knuckles case on Tuesday, per TMZ Sports.

In essence, if Adesanya stays out of legal trouble for the next six months, the case will be dismissed.

The UFC fighter was arrested and briefly detained on Nov. 16 after attempting to take a pair of brass knuckles through security at New York City's John F. Kennedy International Airport.

Police gave Adesanya a written notice and was subject a court appearance on Tuesday.

"Israel was handed a gift by a fan, which he put in his luggage," Adesanya's manager, Tim Simpson, said at the time. "When flagged at the airport, Israel quickly disposed of the item, and cooperated with authorities."

Adesanya, 33, lost the UFC middleweight title belt at UFC 281 on Nov. 12 against Alex Pereira by TKO in the fifth and final round.

That stoppage was somewhat controversial, and Adesanya later told Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour podcast that he appeared more wobbly on his feet than he actually was because of a foot injury (h/t James Cooney of the Daily Mail):

I don't blame the referee. Marc [Goddard, the referee] did a good job, but you see it when I get up. I'm fine. I was lucid. I didn't get 'rocked' rocked. I got hit against the fence and my thought was, 'Escape, laterally, either left or right.' I went right and as I was going right—it wasn't because I was rocked, it was my foot. You know, the perineal. It happened to Michael Chandler, [Henry] Cejudo, our boy Jimmy Crute—it happened to him as well.

That loss followed five defenses of that belt and a 2021 loss against Jan Błachowicz for the UFC lightweight championship.

It was also just Adesanya's second loss in his professional MMA career (23-2). It's unclear what is next for Adesanya in the Octagon, though a rematch with Pereira seems likely.

Former UFC bantamweight champion TJ Dillashaw has retired from the company, his agent told ESPN's Marc Raimondi on Monday.

The 36-year-old last fought at UFC 280 on Oct. 22 in a second-round TKO loss against current 135-pound titleholder Aljamain Sterling in the show's co-main event.

Dillashaw was removed from the UFC roster on Monday. MMA journalist Ariel Helwani reported that he informed the company of his decision within the last two weeks after undergoing shoulder surgery a month ago following his loss to Sterling. During that fight, Dillashaw's shoulder popped out of place multiple times, and he said afterward that he suffered the injury during training camp but didn't want to pull out of the fight.

Helwani added that Dillashaw's surgeon described the shoulder injury as "one of the worst" he's ever seen and told him "it's going to be a long road" in his recovery while also raising the possibility of a second surgery down the line. Dillashaw's decision to call it a career "came as a shock" both to his agent and to the UFC.

A former collegiate wrestler, Dillashaw joined the UFC in 2011 as a competitor on the 14th season of The Ultimate Fighter reality competition series. He lost in the final of the bantamweight tournament against John Dodson, but he went on to win five of his next six fights to earn a title shot against then-titleholder Renan Barao in 2014.

At the time, Barao was regarded as one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world and many considered Dillashaw to be a massive underdog. However, he shockingly dominated the fight on his way to a fifth-round TKO victory to claim the 135-pound belt for the first time. He backed up the win with a fourth-round TKO in the rematch a year later.

In 2016, Dillashaw's first title reign came to an end when he lost a close fight via split decision to Dominick Cruz. He worked his way back to a title shot against his former Team Alpha Male training partner Cody Garbrandt the following year, and he became a two-time champion with a second-round TKO. Dillashaw won the immediate rematch by first-round knockout to end the rivalry.

Dillashaw's career wasn't without controversy. In 2019 while attempting to become a two-weight titleholder against then-flyweight champion Henry Cejudo, he tested positive for a banned substance called EPO and was suspended for two years by USADA. He was unsuccessful against Cejudo, losing by first-round knockout.

Helwani noted that he was told Dillashaw's retirement was not USADA-related. Dillashaw ends his career with a 17-5 record.

The UFC has announced that fighters coached by James Krause could be banned from the company amid an investigation into a possible improper fight last month.

Per MMA journalist Ariel Helwani, UFC chief business officer Hunter Campbell has informed fighters that those who continue to train with Krause will not be permitted to participate in UFC events going forward. This stems from a "suspicious" fight involving Darrick Minner on Nov. 5, which has led to Krause's coach license being suspended in the state of Nevada and Minner being released by the UFC.

As part of the company's statement addressing the matter, Campbell stated "the UFC Athlete Conduct Policy expressly prohibits UFC athletes from placing any wagers (directly or through a third party) on any UFC match, including placing wagers on themselves." The same rules apply to coaches, managers, trainers and anyone else directly affiliated with the athletes or the UFC.

According to ESPN's Marc Raimondi, Krause became the subject of the investigation after Minner lost to Shayilan Nuerdanbieke via first-round TKO in questionable fashion. The betting line on the fight shifted hours before they met in the Octagon, with money coming in on Nuerdanbieke to win by first-round knockout or for the fight to last under 2.5 rounds.

Minner appeared to have entered the fight with a leg injury, and the news of him being hobbled reportedly spread to bettors. As the fight played out, Minner threw a kick that appeared to aggravate his injury, opening the door for Nuerdanbieke to earn a quick finish. The UFC later announced that the "wagering activity" leading up to the fight would be "under review."

Krause is a former UFC fighter who successfully transitioned to a highly-regarded head coach at Glory MMA in Missouri. He's also openly involved in sports betting, hosting the 1% Club wagering podcast and a popular Discord channel where he posts betting tips, per Raimondi.

As the fallout continues from the situation surrounding Krause, the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario announced Thursday that it is shutting down all UFC betting due to integrity concerns. It remains to be seen if more athletic commissions will follow suit.

UFC star Conor McGregor says he and his father are being sued by Artem Lobov for defamation in addition to compensation his former training partner is seeking for the sale of the Proper Twelve Irish Whiskey brand.

Lobov, a former MMA fighter, sued McGregor earlier this month, claiming he is entitled to 5 percent of the $600 million sale of Proper Twelve that took place in 2021.

"My client is a retired professional fighter with a master's degree from DCU in Finance and Capital Markets," Lobov's attorney, Dermot McNamara, said. "We have issued High Court proceedings on his behalf to enforce an agreement with Mr. McGregor regarding the Proper No. 12 whiskey brand. My client was the initial creator and co-founder of the concept to launch an Irish whiskey brand associated with Mr. McGregor. As these matters are now before the court, we will not be making any further comment."

Lobov has publicly claimed on a number of occasions that he planted the idea of selling Irish whiskey to McGregor. According to the Russian's account of events, McGregor was initially considering partnering with Game of Thrones actor Hafþór Björnsson on a vodka business. Lobov then presented McGregor with the idea of Irish whiskey instead, which he found to be the better business plan.

“I said to him before you even look any further, ‘Here’s what I know about Irish whiskey.’ I told him about my presentation from college," Lobov told Jordan Ellis of TalkSport. "I told him about the dominance of Irish whiskey and all of that. He said, ‘You go off and see what deal you can put together’ and I went on my way.”

McGregor allegedly offered to pay Lobov $1 million for his work, a deal Lobov declined. A 5 percent stake of McGregor's $600 million sale would be around $30 million.

McGregor has denied the claims, calling Lobov a "rat" in a since-deleted tweet.

UFC star Israel Adesanya was reportedly arrested at New York City's John F. Kennedy International Airport after attempting to go through security with metal knuckles, according to TMZ Sports.

According to that report, "Brass knuckles are illegal (class A misdemeanor) in the state of New York. It's also illegal to carry them on your person or in your carry-on bag."

Adesanya would have been facing up to a year in jail and additional fines had he been formally charged and convicted. However, his manager Tim Simpson said in a statement that the UFC fighter was given a gift by a fan, disposed of it when flagged at the airport and the matter was promptly resolved:

The 33-year-old is one of the UFC's biggest stars, with a 23-2 record in his professional MMA career and five successful defenses of his middleweight title before Alex Pereira defeated him at UFC 281 on Saturday by a fifth-round knockout.

Adesanya was given a 60-day mandatory rest period and an indefinite medical suspension by the New York State Athletic Commission after the loss. A rematch against Pereira once he's medically cleared to return seems like a distinct possibility.

"Me, personally, I think Izzy deserves a rematch," former MMA fighter Michael Bisping said on his YouTube channel (h/t Kristen King of Bloody Elbow). "I think he's been such a great champion. He's been entertaining. He's been charismatic. He's been a workhorse for the UFC. They said it on the commentary there, ever since Israel won the belt, he has competed in 20 percent of the UFC's title fights. I mean, that is phenomenal. What a schedule. What a workload."

Adesanya had also previously dipped his toes into the light heavyweight division, losing a title fight to Jan Błachowicz at UFC 249 in March 2021.