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<\/p>\nTime, it turns out, really can heal old wounds.<\/p>\n
Some of MMA\u2019s fiercest rivals are now proving that even the most bitter feuds can eventually give way to a bit of respect.<\/p>\n
And sometimes, in rare cases, even becoming \u201cbesties\u201d.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Watch the biggest Aussie sports & the best from overseas LIVE on Kayo Sports | New to Kayo? Join now and get your first month for just $1.<\/a><\/p>\n Not all that long ago, Israel Adesanya, 36, and Robert Whittaker, 35, were locked in one of the UFC\u2019s ugliest rivalries. <\/p>\n Now, they are sharing the mats together at City Kickboxing as \u2018Bobby Knuckles\u2019 makes his move to light heavyweight and Izzy gears up for his next bout.<\/p>\n Their rivalry dominated the middleweight division for what felt like years, beginning shortly before Adesanya knocked out Whittaker to unify the belts at UFC 243 in front of a record crowd in Melbourne. <\/p>\n The pair would later run it back at UFC 271 in Texas, where Adesanya again got the better of the Aussie.<\/p>\n To sum up their relationship at the time, Whittaker told Main Event\u2019s Fight Week: \u201cI don\u2019t know if I hated him, but I\u2019m pretty sure 10 years ago I would have tried hitting him with my car if I could have\u201d.<\/p>\n The relationship between the pair finally began to thaw in January last year, when they buried the hatchet during Whittaker\u2019s visit to CKB in Auckland<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen I was walking into his house, I sat on his couch and he asked me if I wanted anything to eat and I\u2019m just thinking \u2018where am I right now, how did we get here?\u2019 It was surreal,\u201d Whittaker said.<\/p>\n \u201cAustralia and New Zealand is us versus everybody – but we kind of like being rivals as well and that kind of set the scene. <\/p>\n \u201cIt was good to finally hash that out.\u201d<\/p>\n This week\u2019s training sesh felt like the natural next step.<\/p>\n Adesanya posted a clip of the pair laughing and training together \u2013 a million miles from the tension that used to surround their interactions. <\/p>\n \u201cMy bestie in town!\u201d he captioned the video.<\/p>\n \u201cIYKYK [If you know, you know], a man that has forced the best outta me can push me in the training room even with a few words. LEGEND!\u201d<\/p>\n The clip sparked widespread joy across the MMA world, with MMA reporter Helen Yee responding \u201cLove this!\u201d while the post racked up more than 81,000 likes from fans.<\/p>\n Speaking to Fox Sports Australia earlier this month, Whittaker said that training at CKB was something he\u2019d planned<\/a> to prepare for his move up to light heavyweight.<\/p>\n Bigger bodies like Carlos Ulberg, Navajo Stirling, Brando Pericic and Tyson Pedro \u2013 just to name a few \u2013 provide plenty of physical rounds for the former middleweight champ.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t want to go into my next fight as a fat middleweight!\u201d he joked. \u201cI still need to be lean, still need to eat the right food. I just get to have a little bit more of it, which will help with my recovery and my lifestyle.\u201d<\/p>\n Rob Whittaker and Israel Adesanya in 2025Source: FOX SPORTS<\/p>\n \u201cIt takes me a long while to get down to middleweight,\u201d he reveals. \u201cI walk around at about 105kg, day to day, which is still a decent amount above the light-heavyweight limit [of 93kg].\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe plan is probably to head over to City Kickboxing [in Auckland] for a stint, where I can move around with different bodies and bigger guys. But it\u2019s going to be very hard work.\u201d<\/p>\n Whittaker has said in the past that the tension came from his fighter mentality, refusing to allow himself to have any positive feelings towards middleweight rivals.<\/p>\n \u201cBut because he was on the other side of the fence for so long, it was just… I don\u2019t like any middleweight really because I like having that mindset of it\u2019s them against us,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cBecause he was on the other side of the fence for so long, it was always a part of that rivalry there.\u201d<\/p>\n READ MORE UFC<\/p>\n \u2018No more games\u2019: UFC legend asks for release after White House war of words<\/a><\/p>\n