Israel Adesanya changed his tone on Thursday amid criticism of his threat to "rape" an opponent while talking trash.
The UFC middleweight champion issued a statement that his choice of words "crossed the line" and vowed to "be more selective with words under pressure."
What prompted Adesanya's statement
Adesanya drew fire for his word choice while verbally sparring online with middleweight contender Kevin Holland. Holland called Adesanya a "true loser" after Adesanya's UFC 259 loss to Jan Blachowicz in a March 6 light heavyweight title bout.
With defeats in boxing, kickboxing and MMA, Kevin Holland (@Trailblaze2top) labels Israel Adesanya "a true loser.