Dana White on Israel Adesanya’s DUI Charge: ‘Hopefully That’s a One-and-Done for Him’

Israel Adesanya lost his middleweight title to Sean Strickland in a massive upset in the main event at UFC 293 earlier this month.“The Last Stylebender” subsequently pleaded guilty to a charge of drunk driving from an incident dating back to Aug. 19.

The former middleweight champ was returning home with friends after dinner when they encountered a “Random Breath Testing Unit.” Adesanya was 37 milligrams over the legal limit of 50 milligrams and has issued an apology for his misconduct. 

Ultimate Fighting Championship CEO Dana White was recently asked to weigh in on Adesanya’s DUI charge and whether it had any role to play in his title loss. White summed it up crisply calling it a “bad decision” while also advising people to use cabs or drivers when drunk, especially if they can afford it easily.

“Bad decisions, man. No matter how many drinks you’ve had – if you drink, don’t drive,” White said at the Contender Series post-fight press conference on Tuesday night. “Especially, it’s one thing, Ubering is easy, but when you have that kind of money that kid has, get a driver. Have somebody drive you or Uber or whatever. He made a bad decision. Thank God nobody was hurt. Him or nobody else. You know what I say about mistakes: How do you handle them after you make them? Hopefully, that’s a one-and-done for him, and he never does it again.”

Adesanya’s sentencing is set for Jan. 10, which can be a maximum of up to three months' jail time or a fine of $4,500.