Why did Israel Adesanya have 'metal knuckles' in his luggage? Will the former UFC champion see his charges cleared?

Israel Adesanya got into legal trouble after being caught with 'metal knuckles' in his luggage at John F. Kennedy International Airport in November. 'The Last Stylebender' was gifted the knuckles by a fan and mistakenly left the item in his luggage.

Adesanya's manager spoke about the incident and explained that the UFC fighter was more than happy to work with the airport's authorities as soon as the knuckles were discovered in his luggage (via ESPN):

"When flagged at the airport, Israel quickly disposed of the item, and cooperated with authorities. He has complied accordingly, with that the matter was dismissed and he is on his way home."

Watch former UFC champion Michael Bisping speak about the incident here:

However, things seem to be looking up for Israel Adesanya, with his charges likely to be dropped. The former UFC champion was arrested for possession of a weapon, but it's been reported that Adesanya was given "adjournment in contemplation of dismissal" on Tuesday.

The arrest likely felt even worse given that Adesanya was traveling back after losing his UFC middleweight title at UFC 281 in New York. Alex Pereira defeated 'The Last Stylebender' via stoppage in the fifth and final round.

Watch Adesanya lose his belt against Alex Pereira at UFC 281 here:

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Who is Israel Adesanya likely to fight next?

Since losing to Alex Pereira at UFC 281 and subsiquently losing his middleweight title, speculation has surrounded the Nigerian's next move in the UFC. One fighter keen to face Israel Adesanya is Darren Till.

Till is fighting this weekend at UFC 282 against Dricus Du Plessis. Should the Englishman successfully navigate Du Plessis, 'The Gorilla' is keen to face the former champion (via Mirror Sport):

"I feel like it’ll be the best striker against the best striker, I still truly believe that I’m one of the best strikers in the UFC and I know he is too. It’s a dream matchup, obviously it’d be good for him to have the belt and get it at Wembley or Anfield. I’ve got to bide my time though, I’m on the ladder at the bottom and I’m just working my way back up."

However, the most logical next bout for Israel Adesanya would be a rematch against Alex Pereira. The two fighters have already faced each other three times, twice in kickboxing and once in the UFC. But Adesanya was winning on every scorecard heading into the final round at UFC 281, making an immediate rematch an easy pitch for the Nigerian-born New Zealander.