Adesanya’s sorry about 9/11 remark
New Zealand UFC fighter Israel Adesanya has apologised for making a 9/11 joke at a press conference.
At a press conference in Auckland ahead of his upcoming title fight against Cuban Yoel Romero, Adesanya said his rival would ‘‘crumble like the Twin Towers’’.
He came under intense criticism for that but looked to make amends yesterday.
‘‘I never made a joke about people dying or made light of the tragic event that was 9/11,’’ Adesanya wrote on his Instagram Stories.
‘‘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.’’
Press conference onlookers had reacted with boos, claps, cheers and jeers when Adesanya made the remarks, prompting him to say ‘‘too soon?’’.
On September 11, 2001, terrorists flew planes into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Centre in New York, killing about 2600 people.
‘‘He’s a guy no-one wants to fight,’’ Adesanya said. ‘‘. . . I’ve seen him get rocked. I’ve seen him get stopped. I’ve seen him get bloodied. I’ve seen him cry. I’ll make him cry.
‘‘He’s human like anyone else, and everyone likes to make this myth about, ‘Oh, he’s steel, like kicking steel,’ or you hit him and he doesn’t fall.
‘‘I’ll touch him enough times and eventually he’ll crumble like the Twin Towers.’’
Earlier, Brazilian MMA fighter Paulo Costa called Adesanya’s comments ‘‘disgusting’’.
‘‘How dare you make a joke disrespecting the thousands who died and the heroic firefighters and police. I will really kill you, dirty Kiwi.’’