UFC star Adesanya joins George Floyd protest in New Zealand

UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya has joined a growing group of prominent sports stars condemning killing of George Floyd in United States last week.

30-year-old Nigeria-born Adesenya, who has lived in New Zealand since he was 10, addressed a crowd of almost 4,000 at a peaceful Black Lives Matter protest Monday in downtown Auckland, New Zealand's largest city. Similar rallies took place in or New Zealand cities, including a torch light vigil in pouring rain outside parliament in capital, Wellington.

Adesanya spoke of his own experience of racism and his anger at racial profiling.

“How many of you walk into a store and have to put your hands behind your back just so y don’t think you’re stealing?” Adesanya said. “How many of you walk down street and have to kind of smile and try and make person who you can see is already scared of you, make m feel comfortable?"

Adesanya said it happened in building where he lives.

“I just moved (apartments) and I’m on top floor and I have to go in elevator. Three times already I’ve had to have racist, scared white people jump when y see me and I smile at m," he said. “So w I’ve got to stay to side and let m walk through just so y don’t get scared when y see me. Why? Because I’m black.”

Adesanya was emotional as he made a call for peaceful action to register anger at Floyd's death.

“After this we’re gonna march,” he said. “But we’ve been talking for so long, we’ve been marching for so long. But it’s t about us w.

“We need you to speak up, we need you to say something because … I’m sick and tired of seeing those faces get killed because guess what? I see myself in m whole time and it’s heartbreaking.”

Thousands of people in United States and around world have taken to streets to express outr over Floyd’s May 25 death and or killings of black people, particularly by police. Floyd, who was handcuffed and saying he couldn't brea, died after a white Minneapolis police officer pressed a knee on his neck.

Adesanya won UFC world middleweight title at UFC 245 in October last year and defended his title for first time in March.