Israel Adesanya says he was not the aggressor during a recent confrontation with a man in New Zealand … claiming the other guy started the whole incident by hurling a racial slur.
A source close to the UFC superstar tells TMZ Sports … as Izzy was parking his car on a roadway in his home country, the guy came out of nowhere and started calling him the N-word.
Soon after, our source says the man challenged Adesanya to a fight.
In video filmed by a witness — which has now gone viral on social media — it’s hard to make out what either dude is saying … although it’s clear both parties were pissed at one another.
In fact, it appears Adesanya spits on the man at one point.
Fortunately, the altercation never turned physical … and the two men eventually went their separate ways.
Adesanya is expected to address the incident at an anti-street violence charity later Thursday.
The 35-year-old was last seen in the public eye two weeks ago … when he lost a championship matchup with Dricus Du Plessis in Australia.
