Israel Adesanya nearly got into a street fight. A video of the incident has been doing the rounds where the former UFC champ could be seen having some heated words with a stranger, who allegedly accosted him as he was getting into his car and asked him to fight.

While the Kiwi-Nigerian thankfully did not escalate to the point of violence, ‘Izzy’ felt really hurt. One because of the racial abuse the belligerent stranger hurled his way; and two, because of the reaction of the bystanders, who, instead of intervening, just started filming. And while the incident is being circulated as ‘road rage’ on the Kiwi-Nigerian’s part, verbose UFC analyst Chael Sonnen thinks it is a gross mischaracterization and suspects the whole affair was a ‘set-up’.

“Without knowing what anybody is saying or anybody’s body language, Israel Adesanya was perfect. Now he’s got two things against him… You have a black man with a headline that said he road raged. It is simply not what happened. As a matter of fact he was very controlled, as a matter of fact the words that came out of his mouth, the look that he had on his eyes while making sure he had a fairly defensive position,” Sonnen said on his YouTube channel.

Sonnen pointed out that throughout the interaction, ‘Izzy’ maintained his composure and conducted himself in a manner that clearly made it clear he didn’t want to escalate. This in fact is what made Sonnen suspicious about the whole interaction.

‘Uncle Chael’ felt that since the clip was shot at an angle that didn’t show the stranger’s face, combined with the fact that the original video was uploaded with a misleading caption making it seem like ‘Izzy’ was the belligerent, the whole affair was a set-up.

“He actually at one point stepped away he at one point opened up the car door of which he’s behind. I mean that is a shield and the way that you would look and the way that you would talk those are just strategic, as a way of diffusing the moment of Israel getting his opponent to think twice, right,” he said.

Of course, getting into a fight with a famous person and then suing them for assault is one of the easiest ways to make some money. And Sonnen feels something like this is the case here and the cameraman was in cahoots with the stranger, trying to get incriminating evidence for trial. But ‘Izzy’, by not beating up the guy threw cold water on their alleged plans. It is worth noting that this is pure speculation on Sonnen’s part as no evidence of what Sonnen has postulated exists. And ‘Izzy’ is determined to pursue the matter further, which is understandable given it must have reminded him of some of the most traumatic parts of his life.

Why Israel Adesanya wants to press charges

Israel Adesanya’s journey from a bullied schoolboy in New Zealand to a UFC champion has been marked by resilience and strength, but the scars of his past still linger. The former middleweight king recently opened up about the relentless racial abuse he endured as a child—experiences that continue to haunt him to this day.

So when Adesanya faced a new wave of racial abuse in public, the pain was all too real, hitting him at his core. In a heated moment, Adesanya, of Yoruba descent, was visibly shaken, even spitting at his aggressor—an act that spoke volumes about the depth of his hurt. Now, Adesanya is determined to take legal action, should his abuser be identified, to make sure this incident doesn’t go unchecked.

Despite the emotional toll, Adesanya made a smart decision by not escalating the situation further. Had he reacted physically, the narrative could have quickly shifted, potentially putting him at risk of facing charges or a lawsuit himself.

What do you think of Chael Sonnen’s take on Adesanya’s recent run-in? Did Adesanya handle the situation the right way? Let us know your thoughts!