Nigerian-New Zealand professional mixed martial artist, Israel Adesanya is likely to be sentenced to three months imprisonment as he pleads guilty to drunk-driving charges.

Adesanya on August 19, 2023, was returning from a dinner outing with friends when he encountered a Random Breath Testing unit in Auckland.

He was found with 87 milligrams of alcohol per 100 milliliters of blood in his system. The legal limit in New Zealand is 50 milligrams.

According to ESPN, as a result of this offence, he could potentially face a fine of up to $2,680 and/or a jail sentence of three months.

“I want to apologize to the community, my family and my team for the decision I made to get behind the wheel after drinking at a dinner,’ Adesanya said in a statement provided to ESPN.

‘I am disappointed with my decision to drive, it was wrong. I know that people might follow me and I want them to know I do not think this behavior is acceptable,” he said in a statement.

This is not the first time the mixed martial artist will be facing legal charges. In 2022, following his first middleweight title loss to rival Alex Pereira at UFC 281, Israel Adesanya experienced an episode of in-flight illegal item carriage at JFK Airport in Queens, New York.

Airport authorities briefly detained him because they found brass knuckles in his luggage. Fortunately, the weapons charge was later dropped.