Adesanya trains with ex-rival Whittaker ahead of UFC return

By Daily Sports Nigeria on January 14, 2025

Former two-time UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya has enlisted the help of former rival Robert Whittaker in preparation for his comeback fight against Nassourdine Imavov at UFC Saudi Arabia next month, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.

The Nigerian-born fighter shared training footage with Whittaker on social media, captioning it “New year, new friends,” despite their previous rivalry which saw Adesanya claim victories in both their encounters.

The surprising partnership drew reactions from several UFC stars, with former champion Alex Pereira commenting “Chama,” which translates to ‘passion’ in Brazil while analyst Laura Sanko added, “Now we need a buddy cop movie.”

Former bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling and featherweight king Alexander Volkanovski also chimed in, writing “Love to see it!” and “F*****g love this lads!” respectively.

Whittaker, who lost his middleweight title to Adesanya via second-round knockout at UFC 243 in 2019 before dropping a unanimous decision in their 2022 rematch, believes his former rival remains the favourite against Imavov.

“I’d have to lean into Izzy being the favourite. Like he’s so good at what he does,” Whittaker said on his YouTube channel.

“But Imavov’s a bit of a dog. He can go the distance. His striking is good. I can see him pushing the pace, pushing the pressure to try to make Adesanya make errors, much like how Dricus (Du Plessis) fought him.”

The 35-year-old Adesanya returns to the octagon for the first time since losing his title to Du Plessis at UFC 305 last August, which marked his second consecutive defeat following a stunning loss to Sean Strickland at UFC 293.

A victory over the fifth-ranked Imavov at the February 1 event could potentially earn Adesanya another title shot or at least a number one contender bout.

Meanwhile, Whittaker is also plotting his comeback after suffering a submission loss to Khamzat Chimaev at UFC 308, which left him with facial and jaw injuries.

Source Punch Ng

Posted January 14, 2025


 

You may also like...
Paris St-Germain cruise past 10-man Atletico Madrid in...

Klopp ‘perfect man’ for Liverpool manager’s job-Ian Ayre...

Man U Submits Offer For Osimhen

Abdulrazaq Unveils New Jerseys For Kwara United

Osimhen anticipates first Gala goal

2022 World Cup Qualifier: Outrage Over Eagles’ Loss...

 

Latest News 'I thought Trump was going to exit stage - but he wanted to stay' Man Utd fan admits slapping Jack Grealish at derby Modric completes AC Milan move on one-year deal Newcastle explore record deal for Frankfurt's Ekitike Ardova HPL: Ekiti Queens’ skipper blames team woes on inexperience Two Nigerian fencers for World Fencing Championships Falcons lead Nigerian sports tributes to Buhari Ngerem condemns National Sports Commission structure Basketball: Canada rip Nigeria at U-19 Women’s World Cup Ex-Super Eagles defender Kadiri Ikhana critically ill Forest consider legal action against Spurs over Gibbs-White Liverpool to honour Diogo Jota in return to action at Preston

 

Most Read Rangers International going, going . . . (55,577 views) Amaju Pinnick: A cat with nine lives (46,744 views) Second Term: Amaju Pinnick, Other NFF Heavyweights Home to Roost •How Pinnick Broke the Jinx (44,749 views) Current issues in Nigerian sports: Matters arising (44,344 views) Missing $150,000 IAAF Grant: Solomon Dalung’s Hide and Seek game (44,344 views) Sports Development: Zenith Bank on the zenith (44,329 views) Gov. Abdullahi Ganduje’s solid footprints, commitment to sports development in Kano State (44,135 views) NFF Presidency: Pinnick, Maigari, Ogunjobi, Okoye in Battle for Supremacy (43,686 views) Olopade, BET9A wave of revolution in NNL (42,788 views) Commonwealth Games 2018: Shame of Muhammadu Buhari, Solomon Dalung (41,406 views) Ibrahimovic’s Man U exit: Whose decision is it? And in whose interest? (39,844 views) John Mikel Obi: Segun Odegbami’s Outrageous Call! (39,270 views)

 

Phone numbers

Tel: +234(0)8066020976
+234(0)8055068145
+234(0)7013416146
+234(0)8094272884

Email addresses

info@dailysportsng.com
support@dailysportsng.com
publisher@dailysportsng.com

Office address

No 3, Adetoun Close, Off College Road, Ogba, Ikeja Lagos.
Website: www.dailysportsng.com

Social Media