Israel Adesanya Apologizes for 9/11 Reference In UFC Trash Talk

UFC superstar Israel Adesanya admits he took the trash talk too far by using a 9/11 reference about Yoel Romero ... and now he's apologizing.

Adesanya was promoting his upcoming clash with Romero at UFC 248 when he told the media ... "I'll touch him enough times and eventually he'll crumble like the Twin Towers."

Obviously, 9/11 similes don't go over with the public -- and the backlash was swift and severe.

But, Sunday night, Adesanya apologized for the comment -- explaining he didn't mean to disrespect anyone ... he just screwed up.

"I never made a joke about people dying or made light of the tragic event that was 9/11," Adesanya said.

"I was simply rambling and my brain worked faster than my mouth in a moment to chose the wrong euphemism."

"You speak on the mic enough times and you're bound to miss the mark with some bars. I did on this one and for that I'm sorry."