Israel Adesanya has lauded the energy and experience that he gained from training with former foe Robert Whittaker, as the New Zealander attempts to halt what has been the leanest trot in his mixed martial arts career.
Social media lit up last week when Adesanya posted a picture on Instagram with his arm around the Australian during a session at City Kickboxing, after Whittaker had joined his former rival's camp in Auckland in the build-up to his UFC Fight Night showdown with Nassourdine Imavov.
Having twice fought for the middleweight title -- the first time in front of a still UFC record crowd in Melbourne in 2019 -- the two men have shared a heated history at times. But three years since their most recent showdown, any previous bad blood has been squared away.
"Working with Rob was awesome," Adesanya told ESPN. "Having him come through, show love; just something the new. The energy and the experience he brings as well, it was really nice to have him come through and show a united front, as Anzacs (Australia and New Zealand).
"He has a wealth of experience that he brought with him. And moving around with him, exchanging with him, I took a lot from that [for the Imavov fight]."
Asked whether it was initially strange to be working with a guy with whom he had shared some heated verbal exchanges and gone six-plus championship rounds with, Adesanya said there was no awkwardness whatsoever.
"He was an old homie," Adesanya quipped. "I knew he was coming through, but I didn't know what day he was coming, so when I saw him I got hyped, I got excited, I screamed.
"But it was like seeing an old friend, it wasn't awkward or anything for me, it was just natural. We're cool, bro, we're just a couple of chill guys."
Despite their previous differences, the two middleweights share a lot of similarities. They are both former middleweight champions; they have spoken of their mental challenges and need to step away from the sport; and at 35 (Adesanya) and 34 (Whittaker), both men are nearer to the end of their careers.
It proved so fruitful that Adesanya was adamant it would happen again.
"We spoke about a lot of things, but we know where we are in our careers," Adesanya told ESPN. "And again, it's good to show a united front, and have some new energies, some new bodies to move around with, and I look forward to going over to his side as well and mixing it up with them.
New year, new friends 😊 pic.twitter.com/UC1esTzLqx
— Israel Adesanya (@stylebender) January 12, 2025
"There's no plan [to train in Sydney as yet], but it will definitely happen."
Six months removed from his loss to Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 305 in Perth, Adesanya wouldn't be drawn on anything beyond his Feb. 1 showdown with Imavov.
But he did reveal that he, coach Eugene Bareman and the entire City Kickboxing team had further reshaped their training load, and that would ensure there would be no repeat of the "fatigue" that saw him succumb to Du Plessis.
"We already revamped the schedule at our gym -- a little bit more efficient," Adesanya said. "We had different blocks, four-week blocks, I don't want to go too much into detail, but it was very very beneficial, and the fruits of the labor can be seen in my physique and my work rate. And, yeah, you'll see.
"The Dricus fight was the most active I've ever been in any fight when it comes to output, I've never been that busy in any fight. We've just put more gas in the tank this time.
"Yeah, he capitalized on his moment when I was fatigued, and he's a guy who's stubborn and strong willed. So congrats to him on that. But now we're focused on Imavov, a new body, and I'm excited to get in there and exchange with him."