Robert Whittaker has revealed the story behind how he wound up training with long-time rival Israel Adesanya recently.
As we know, Robert Whittaker and Israel Adesanya have been through a lot together. They have fought twice in the realm of professional mixed martial arts, and on both occasions, Adesanya has been able to get the better of the man they call Bobby Knuckles.
Alas, both have still had incredibly impressive careers in their own way, with Robert Whittaker serving as one of the most successful middleweights of all time – which is strange when you consider that his title reign wasn’t particularly long.
Recently, the pair were spotted training together in a post by ‘Stylebender’ that sent shockwaves through the MMA world. In a recent interview with NZ Herald, Robert Whittaker opened up on how it all came to be.
Robert Whittaker reveals story behind Israel Adesanya training
“We came to the conclusion we needed more bodies. We wanted to experience new training styles, and we started looking at our options,” Robert Whittaker told the New Zealand Herald. “We were looking all over the world – definitely, there’s training out there in the States and whatnot.
“But, like a flash of lightning (I thought) CKB’s just across the lake – it’s practically home, why don’t we contact them, head over, meet the boys, see if it works, then maybe we can work something out and try to form a good relationship.”
“There is no way I thought we’d be here breaking bread, you know? But here we are, the world’s a funny place,” Whittaker said. “I’m happy for it because, just being open to ideas, to broadening horizons, I’ve met some new boys, I’m getting some new work out of it, and it just keeps things fun, keeps things interesting.”
Quotes via MMA Junkie
