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Israel Adesanya: Former rival Robert Whittaker ‘brightened up’ training camp
Israel Adesanya and Robert Whittaker used to be rivals but the former middleweight champions trained together ahead of Adesanya’s first non-title fight in six years.
Israel Adesanya and Robert Whittaker will forever be linked together in mixed martial arts lore.
Both are former UFC middleweight champions and future Hall of Famers who live and train in the same corner of the world, one in New Zealand the other in Australia. They share many high-level common opponents and fought each other twice for the title between 2019 and 2022. Adesanya won the first by knockout to end Whittaker’s reign as champ and then won a tightly contested five-round rematch less than two-and-a-half years later.
Now a new chapter in each of their careers has opened – a post-rivalry chapter – and Whittaker recently spent time helping Adesanya prepare for his upcoming Fight Night main event against Nassourdine Imavov.
Adesanya told Sportsnet’s Aaron Bronsteter that Whittaker’s presence “brightened up the later part of this camp” at the City Kickboxing gym in Auckland.
“This part of your career it’s always nice to have somebody new, some new energy and training bodies,” Adesanya explained. “Rob’s one of the best in the world and he’s just across the pond in Australia in Sydney, so it’s nice to have him come through and show some love and I’ll be returning the favour as well.
“It was just good to have him around because he really lifted the spirits of the gym.”
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Saturday’s event takes place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia and it will mark Adesanya’s first non-title fight in almost six years.
“There’s definitely pressure I put on myself and whatnot,” Adesanya said, “but without the title (on the line) in this one it just gives me a sense of freedom so I can just go in there and fight and get paid.”
When asked about his goals for 2025, the 35-year-old former two-time 185-pound champion said unlike in previous years when he’d map out his entire calendar, this year he isn’t looking past what’s in front of him.
“I’m just looking at Imavov,” Adesanya said. “He’s the only person in my sights.”
Imavov has won three in a row over ranked fighters Roman Dolidze, Jared Cannonier and Brendan Allen. The 29-year-old from France enters Saturday ranked as the No. 5 contender in the middleweight division.
“He’s very slick, he’s very well-rounded yet I can offset it by just being myself,” Adesanya said of his upcoming opponent’s overall skill set.
The Last Stylebender is still ranked No. 2 in the division despite going 1-3 in his past four fights dating back to 2022. Adesanya traded wins with Alex Pereira before the current 205-pound champ moved up a weight class, lost a unanimous decision to Sean Strickland and was submitted by current middleweight champ Dricus Du Plessis in their UFC 305 main event this past August.
The UFC debuted in Saudi Arabia seven months ago with a main event that saw Whittaker make quick work of Ikram Aliskerov with a first-round knockout.
Saturday’s headliner will be the 13th consecutive five-round contest Adesanya has prepared for.
The co-main event also features a pair of talented strikers in the middleweight division as 15-0 Shara Magomedov welcomes Michael “Venom” Page up from the welterweight ranks.
