MMA fighters and controversies aren’t a novel thing, as another such incident went down in Jerusalem recently. Israeli MMA fighter Haim Gozali, who’s 52 years old, found himself in some trouble with the law enforcement authorities over an alleged assault incident. However, Gozali appears to have denied any wrongdoing and has shared his account of the whole situation.

The nation of Israel recently celebrated Jerusalem Day on the 28th of Iyar. Police officials have claimed that on that day, Haim Gozali allegedly assaulted an employee who works at the Western Wall Heritage Foundation, and is now reportedly looking to question him. Apparently, Gozali entered a restricted area without permission. However, the MMA fighter claims that he did not do wrong, and, in fact, went there for some official reasons.

The incident led to Gozali getting slapped with a 15-day ban, which didn’t allow him to visit the Old City in the Israeli capital. The 52-year-old MMA veteran didn’t take this kindly and issued an appeal against the ban, where he wrote, “For over two decades I’ve promoted jiu-jitsu in Israel and worked with at-risk youth free of charge.” Haim Gozali added, “I was chosen to accompany Sheikh Tahnoun’s delegation for high-level meetings with Israeli officials. My presence is important as part of a cultural-sports bridge between the countries,” as reported by YNet News.

Meanwhile, the police did not agree with the MMA fighter. Instead, they released their own statement, expressing their disappointment with Haim Gozali, who is a mentor for many budding fighters in the country. “It’s unfortunate that someone who presents himself as a youth mentor and a black belt in jiu-jitsu chooses to respond violently to a legitimate request by an employee simply doing his job,” they stated.

Haim Gozali is not an unknown figure in the MMA world. He formerly fought under the Bellator banner and boasts a 15-6 record. He has insisted on not doing anything in another statement he shared, besides the appeal to the court. Here’s what he had to say.

MMA fighter releases statement regarding alleged assault incident

Haim Gozali also had an issue in 2021 at the Western Wall, and that too also caters to him entering a restricted area. While dismissing both of those accusations as false, he mentioned that being a professional fighter doesn’t mean he’d thrown down some fisticuffs anywhere. It’s always in the cage, and Gozali has no intention of taking things outside of it under any circumstances.

“With all due respect, I’m a professional fighter who competes in arenas—I have no interest in attacking anyone at the holiest site to the Jewish people,” Haim Gozali stated. Meanwhile, the 52-year-old has been in the game for a long time, competing as a professional fighter from 1998 to even day. And these alleged incidents of assault appear to be surprising given that he’s never been a man of much controversy.

Well, we will be getting more details in the days to come, and we’ll get the answers as to what went down during the alleged incident and who was the aggressor. Meanwhile, let us know your thoughts about the situation with the MMA veteran in the comments down below.