Israel Adesanya speaks on widely-discussed Olympic boxing controversy: “He couldn’t even finish her!”

Former UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya has spoken out on one of the biggest talking points of the 2024 Summer Olympics.

Adesanya will return to the UFC Octagon against middleweight titleholder Dricus du Plessis at UFC 305 later this month. He returns to the cage almost a full year removed from a loss to Sean Strickland at UFC 293.

In the meantime, Adesanya, like many around the world, is keeping a close eye on the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris. This year’s Olympic Games haven’t proceeded without a fair share of controversy in and out of the competition.

One hot topic surrounding the Olympics is Imane Khelif, an Algerian boxer who defeated Italy’s Angela Carini at the games. Khelif, who identifies as a female, failed a gender eligibility test during a 2023 competition but passed pre-competition tests ahead of the 2024 Olympics.

Carini quit just seconds into the fight against Khelif due to a possible broken nose.

As reported by TMZ and others, Khelif had elevated testosterone levels at the 2023 World Championships and had XY chromosomes (male). Biological women have XX chromosomes.

It’s uncertain if the same gender eligibility tests were conducted by the International Olympic Committee.

Israel Adesanya scolds controversial Olympic boxer Imane Khelif

In a recent tweet, Adesanya addressed the controversy surrounding Khelif and Olympic boxing.

Men should not be boxing women.
lol he couldn’t even finish her.
Anyway, People > politics. pic.twitter.com/i8KUyYlTrh

— Israel Adesanya (@stylebender) August 1, 2024

“Men should not be boxing women,” Adesanya tweeted. “Lol he couldn’t even finish her. Anyway, People > politics.”

Reactions to Adesanya’s tweet vary, with some criticizing his remarks and some praising him for speaking out against Khelif. As of this writing, it’s uncertain when Khelif will compete next at the Olympics.

Transgender athletes competing in sports has been a hotly-discussed topic in recent years. The debate has also emerged within MMA after fights featuring transgender women like Fallon Fox and Alana McLoughlin.

Adesanya is one of the biggest fan favorites in the UFC, with title wins over the likes of Alex Pereira and Robert Whittaker. He has the potential to become a three-time UFC middleweight champion with a victory over du Plessis.