Sport
Nigerian-born UFC fighter, Israel Adesanya loses brand endorsement deal over rape comment
Top Nigerian-born UFC star, Israel Adesanya, has lost his BMW endorsement, following his comment about raping his fellow fighter, Kevin Holland in an online video.
Adesanya received lots of backlashes after he posted a video on his Instagram stories, where he told Holland, “Bro, I will f….n r*pe you,” as part of what was meant to be “fight talk.”
The 31-year-old was due to be unveiled as the face of BMW New Zealand on Monday, March 29, however, in a statement released on Friday, March 27, the German car manufacturer said it has cancelled the endorsement deal.
“Due to the comments made by an athlete online, we have reviewed our pending association with said athlete and we have decided not to push forward with a specific ambassador for the brand at this time in New Zealand,” the statement reads.