Israel Adesanya is going through the worst phase of his MMA career, but he is still prestigious in the company. Despite two straight losses, the promotion’s former middleweight champion will headline UFC Saudi Arabia, an event scheduled for Feb. 1. In the main event, the Nigerian will face Nassourdine Imavov. So to make sure he finally breaks his losing streak, he has found himself a new sparring partner.

In fact, he has found himself a new friend. So who is it? Well, it’s none other than Robert Whittaker, a man he has fought and defeated twice. Taking to his Instagram, ‘The Last Stylebender’ uploaded a few photos and clips of them sparring together with the caption, “New year, new friends😊.” In the photo, the duo can be seen smiling together and simply enjoying what must’ve been a fun sparring session between two elite UFC fighters.

This was definitely an unexpected move for fans and the UFC locker room. So much so that the ever-so-stoic Alex Pereira commented on the post by writing, “Chama.” But it wasn’t just him who was surprised to see the two former opponents train together. Other fighters such as Stephen Thompson joined in, “Let’s go!!! Love seeing 2 martial artist with tremendous skills training together! #MuchRespect.” Aljamain Sterling and Alexander Volkanovski too shared some love with the new friends, as they wrote, “Love to see it! 🔥🔥🔥” and “F*****g love this lads! 🙏,” respectively.

Well, it is good to see fighters like Alex Pereira and Stephen Thompson showing some camaraderie, especially when Israel Adesanya needs some positivity in life. In his last two fights, the former UFC middleweight champion was dominated by Sean Strickland and later subdued by Dricus du Plessis. Despite this, Israel Adesanya continues to stand out in the rankings of the division, occupying the second spot on the list. However, this won’t be an easy fight, as Imavov too is climbing up the ladder in the company. The Frenchman won three fights in a row and got himself the fifth place in the rankings. So, what does the much-awaited fight look like? Well, here’s what Robert Whittaker had to share.

Robert Whittaker predicts fight between Israel Adesanya and Nassourdine Imavov

Despite coming off back-to-back losses, Israel Adesanya comes into the fight as the clear favorite. Why? Well, that’s because Nassourdine Imavov has just broken into the top-5 scene after convincingly winning his fights against Jared Cannonier and Brendan Allen. So far, he hasn’t faced someone as fierce as ‘The Stylebender,’ so many believe that this can be a win for Adesanya.

One of those firm believers is Robert Whittaker. In a video on his YouTube channel, ‘The Reaper’ sided with the man who defeated him twice in the UFC. According to the Australian fighter, Israel Adesanya is an elite striker who is just too good at what he does. “I’d have to lean into Izzy being the favorite. Like he’s so good at what he does.” However, he also knows that Adesanya is also one fighter who can be pressured by his opponents to commit errors.

Seeing the always attacking approach of Imavov, the Australian fighter added that the French fighter could make ‘The Last Stylebender’ make errors like Dricus Du Plessis did. “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. I can’t say better standup because Dricus’ standup is just a different type of standup, a different approach.” What do you think? Will the former UFC middleweight champion emerge victorious? Or will Imavov get the biggest win of his career so far? Let us know in the comments.