Rivals one day, training partners another.

Ahead of his return to the UFC octagon next month, Israel Adesanya has seen a familiar face join him for training, with former UFC middleweight champion Robert Whittaker at Auckland’s City Kickboxing gym.

The pair have had one of the biggest rivalries in the middleweight division in recent years, with Adesanya dethroning Whittaker with a second-round knockout in the title clash in Melbourne in October 2019.

The pair fought again in February 2022 as Whittaker tried to claim the title back, with Adesanya winning a unanimous decision.

Both athletes posted about joining forces on social media, with Adesanya saying “new year, new friends” and Whittaker saying “Rivals one day, friends the next. Funny world.”

Adesanya, currently ranked at No 2 in the middleweight division, is scheduled to make his return to the octagon in Saudi Arabia early next month against No 5-ranked Nassourdine Imavov.

It will be his first non-UFC title bout since a unanimous decision win over Anderson Silva in Melbourne in early 2019.

Since then, the 35-year-old has fought 12 times; every appearance having a title on the line. February’s assignment will also be the first time Adesanya has not fought on a pay-per-view card since his unanimous decision win over Brad Tavares in July 2018 - just his third UFC appearance.

The bout between Adesanya and Imavov is the headline fight on the card in Saudi Arabia, so it will be scheduled for five rounds if required.

The February2 event will be the last on the schedule before the UFC’s return Downunder, with Sydney hosting UFC 312 a week later. Dricus du Plessis – who beat Adesanya last August - will put the middleweight title on the line against Strickland in the main event – a rematch of their January clash that saw du Plessis dethrone the American. Zhang Weili will look to defend her strawweight title against American Tatiana Suarez in the co-main event.

Christopher Reivejoined the Herald sports team in 2017, bringing the same versatility to his coverage as he does to his sports viewing habits.