UFC megastar Israel Adesanya has made a complaint to police after claiming he was racially abused in a heated exchange with a member of the public in central Auckland on Wednesday.
The 35-year-old was filmed by an onlooker with an unidentified man who Adesanya says was trying to provoke him into a confrontation.
In a statement to the Herald, Adesanya said: "I am extremely disappointed after an incident on Wednesday when a random member of the public stopped his car, racially abused me, and challenged me to a fight. We have been in contact with police and will be pressing charges.
"On Wednesday morning, I was leaving a cafe on K Rd when a passing car slowed, and an occupant began yelling racial abuse and challenging me to fight.
"I smiled, waved it off, and continued to my car. The vehicle stopped, and the abuse continued. I again waved it off. The car then parked, and the passenger got out, approached me aggressively, continued his torrent of abuse, and demanded I fight him. I tried to de-escalate the situation repeatedly. As he got closer, I asked bystanders to call the police.
"He then entered my personal space, and I felt threatened. To protect myself, I became more forceful in my language and defensive. Though he paused, the abuse continued, so I left him with some choice words, cautiously moved to my car, and drove away.
Israel Adesanya was filmed by an onlooker with an unidentified man who Adesanya says was trying to provoke him into a confrontation. Photo: Supplied via NZ Herald
"It's ridiculous that I can't buy a pie after training without some idiot screaming despicable things and asking for a fight while his mates film from the sidelines.
"Threatening violence is no joke. It's very dangerous, and incidents like this must not be glorified online. I hope in the future people say something rather than get their phones out to film."
The footage obtained by the Herald shows Adesanya attempting to get into his vehicle telling the man to "walk away" while raising a finger at the man.
The video also shows more than one onlooker filming the altercation. Adesanya is also filmed appearing to spit gum in the man's direction, before saying, "I will pay for you to fight me".
At that point, the person filming the incident from their car drives away.
Last month, Adesanya was beaten by South African Dricus du Plessis at UFC 305 in Perth. The Kiwi fighter was unable to reclaim the UFC's middleweight title. Adesanya has now lost three of his last four bouts but said immediately after the fight he had no plans to retire.