There’s an old saying in combat sports, keep your friends close and your rivals closer. But what happens when those rivals become training partners? Well, that’s exactly what’s unfolding in the middleweight division. If you had ‘Robert Whittaker and Israel Adesanya teaming up’ on your 2025 MMA bingo card, go ahead and collect your prize. Ahead of UFC 312, reigning middleweight champ Dricus Du Plessis took a moment to address this unexpected alliance, and let’s just say, he’s got some thoughts.

Speaking at the UFC 312 media day, the South African native wasn’t exactly thrilled about the whole ‘top contenders training together’ concept. “Yeah, I guess, I’m not training with anybody in the top 10,” he said, breaking into laughter. But he did acknowledge that Whittaker and Adesanya, specifically, make sense as training partners. Why? Well, according to him, “they know trajectory-wise they’ll never fight each other again.”

Du Plessis, ever the gentleman, then gave ‘The Reaper’ a polite nod. “I think he has another run left in him, 100%.” But when it came to Izzy? Different story. “I don’t think there’s another title run, with all due respect,” He said handing Adesanya his retirement pamphlet. And you know when someone says “with all due respect”, there’s always something to be read between the lines.“I put him in the same category as Anderson Silva at this stage – lose as many fights as you want, you always have your legacy.”

Those are strong words, especially for ‘The Last Stylebender’, who’s coming off a tough loss to Nassourdine Imavov at UFC Saudi Arabia. It was another setback in a three-fight losing streak that has many questioning if Izzy will ever reclaim his throne. Meanwhile, Whittaker, at 34, still looks like he has gas left in the tank. Could the former champion make one more run? ‘Stillknocks’ certainly thinks so. And speaking of second chances, let’s take a look at Whittaker and Adesanya’s unexpected path to the future.

Is Israel Adesanya’s change of heart a result of too many rounds and a ticking clock?

If the MMA world had a ‘biggest plot twists’ award, this would be in the running. For years, Izzy and Whittaker went at it like two guys fighting over the last seat on the hype train. Israel Adesanya snatched the belt from ‘The Reaper’ at UFC 243 and doubled down with a defense at UFC 271, and the idea of them ever sharing a training mat was as likely as Jon Jones partying with Daniel Cormier, or Conor McGregor fly fishing with Khabib Nurmagomedov.

And yet, here we are. The New Zealand native himself admitted that teaming up with his former arch-nemesis wasn’t exactly on his mind. “There is no way I thought we’d be here breaking bread, you know? But here we are, the world’s a funny place,” he told The New Zealand Herald. What changed? Simple. Whittaker needed good training partners, and City Kickboxing was right there.

“We were looking all over the world… but, like a flash of lightning, I thought, CKB’s just across the lake – it’s practically home.” Even Robert Whittaker himself acknowledged that he wasn’t exactly a fan of Adesanya in the past. But now, with a trilogy fight seemingly off the table, he’s open to continuing the partnership. “You don’t want to like a rival,” he said. “There’s a point I make of not trying to like any other middleweights just because of the potential of fighting them, but I think that door’s kind of closed with me and him now training together.”

This move could mean a few things. Either they’re both reinventing themselves, or they’re both just over the whole rivalry phase and looking for ways to stay sharp. Either way, Du Plessis watching all this unfold with his belt over his shoulder has to be entertaining. With UFC 312 just around the corner, the middleweight division is looking more unpredictable than ever. Is Whittaker about to make one last championship push? Is Adesanya about to prove everyone wrong? Or are they both just here for a good time and some solid sparring rounds? What do you think? Let us know in the comments below!