Kiwi MMA star Israel Adesanya isn’t happy with New Zealand – and says he’ll never fight here again.

The UFC middleweight champion launched a meteoric attack on the country’s “bureaucrats” on his YouTube channel “Freestylebender” over authorities’ decision not to allow New Zealand MMA athletes to continue preparations of their upcoming events using a makeshift lock bubble.

The 32-year-old, who hasn’t fought at home since joining the UFC in early 2018, said his dreams of doing so are now dead.

His comments come after a makeshift bubble at Auckland’s City Kickboxing Gymnasium was dissolved after receiving a warning notice by police, as well as the fact that UFC Kiwi fighters are among many professional athletes in Nova Scotia. Zealand unable to acquire MIQ spots, while teams such as cricket teams from Bangladesh and the Netherlands have been granted exemptions to enter the country.

“You will never see me fight in New Zealand again,” Adesanya said in the video.

“All that money, they can get it from somewhere else. Their rugby players, their crickets and all the others that they give exemptions to, but you’ll never see me fight on these shores. [again].

“It was one of my dreams, to be on the front page of a stadium in my backyard. This dream died in the water… that’s exactly how I feel right now.”

UFC lightweight contender Kiwi Dan Hooker and several other fighters and coaches had made the gym their home in order to continue training for events, including Hooker’s next appearance at UFC 266 in late September. After the disbandment, Hooker and a few others continued to try and prepare for his fight at his own gym – the Combat Academy in Ellerslie. However, they were again warned by the police.

Adesanya has denounced reporters who allegedly monitored Hooker’s gym to take pictures of Hooker, teammate Brad Riddell and trainer Eugene Bareman training. Under lockdown regulations, journalists are considered essential workers and are allowed to travel for work purposes.

“It pissed me off,” Adesanya said in the video. “It’s like ‘really, is that what you’re using your privilege for?’ The constant effort to suffocate, sever, disrupt our team at City Kickboxing by helping team captain Dan ‘Hangman’ Hooker prepare for his fight is what pissed me off the most. “

He went on to say he would understand if it was he himself preparing for a fight, calling the country “racist” and saying the New Zealand flag was “ugly”. Adesanya, born in Nigeria, also said he thought the Nigerian flag was “ugly” as well.

“I don’t really wave the flags; I’m not really a patriot like that. For me, I take care of my people and if you are my people you know you are my people – I don’t care. * ** don’t care where in the world you come from, “he said.

Adesanya posted a shortened clip of the video to his Instagram account in which he appears on camera claiming he knows the “country’s bureaucrats” don’t like him, and also says he thinks the neo flag. Zealander is ugly – cutting before he goes on to discuss the Nigerian flag in the original video.

“He talks too much, he is not humble enough, he does not represent the Kiwis to us,” he mimics, saying.

“They are racists, some of them are fucking racists,” he continues. “Of course they don’t want a black boy representing New Zealand. But you’re doing that to Dan Hangman Hooker.

Read more
UFC 266: Dan Hooker Gets Last Minute Visa; faces a busy schedule heading into Las Vegas this weekend
MMA: Kiwi UFC fighters again cautioned by police over second lockdown violation – NZ Herald

The fight camp for Hooker was a chaotic experience ahead of his fight this weekend at UFC266 in Las Vegas. Auckland entered the Level 4 lockdown just days after signing to face German puncher Nasrat Haqparast.

He and more fighters and gym coaches moved into City Kickboxing before the lockdown officially began forming their own bubble which lasted for about a week before they were forced to disband.

He was warned again by the police after trying to work with a few other people who were with him in the gym bubble of his own gym, and has since had to rely on some workout he could do on his own.

It then took a frantic rally for a last minute meeting at the U.S. Embassy for Hooker to get his visa, with the lockdown delaying the process. Hooker was supposed to fly out of Vegas last Sunday, but had to delay that – getting his visa on Monday.

He will now fly to Vegas tonight – at a critical point in the weight reduction process – and arrive in Vegas less than 24 hours before he hits the scale.

Hooker’s expected opponent not only had similar issues, obtaining his visa on Thursday and was due to go to battle within a similar timeframe as Hooker, but has also faced the death of his mother in recent weeks, but s ‘is committed to doing what he can to get into battle.