Whittaker and Adesanya’s Training History
In January 2025, former middleweight champion Robert Whittaker described how injuries and other absences among his Australian training partners helped lead him to City Kickboxing in Auckland, New Zealand, where he trained alongside longtime title rival Israel Adesanya. It was a striking change in a rivalry defined by two championship fights, and reports described a training visit and growing rapport—not a permanent move by Whittaker.
Whittaker’s journey to this unexpected partnership began when his training partners back home faced injuries and other commitments. “We started looking around and then like a lightning bolt, we realized, ‘Mate, City Kickboxing is only a 2.5-hour flight away and they’ve got the bodies.'” Whittaker said during an interview with Fox Sports. “It’s New Zealand, the place of my birth. Everything just started lining up, right?”
The record is clear even if the rivalry was personal: Adesanya knocked out Whittaker in the second round of their October 2019 title unification bout, then won a unanimous decision in their February 2022 rematch to retain the middleweight championship. The official 2019 event results and official 2022 results confirm both outcomes. Their later training sessions came after that competition had ended; in January 2025, Whittaker described his old mindset toward Adesanya as “that sort of relationship” in an interview reported by Fox Sports Australia.
Whittaker’s presence at City Kickboxing has been welcomed by Adesanya and the rest of the team. Eugene Bareman, Adesanya’s coach, shared his thoughts on the partnership, saying, “He’s one of us. Sometimes we forget that… You can’t forget where you’re from and Rob’s from New Zealand.”
The training sessions between Whittaker and Adesanya have been evidence of their growth and maturity as fighters. “It’s funny, I just left his house. I was sitting on the couch with him working on his YouTube stuff. I’m still kind of reeling. You’ve got to be open to his stuff and have an open mind to be able to work through that so everyone can get better.”
In January 2025, Whittaker said he thought a trilogy was unlikely, citing the fighters’ career stages and the division. That was his assessment at the time, rather than a permanent retirement or a report of a booked third fight. In July 2026, Adesanya announced that he was leaving City Kickboxing and parting ways with longtime coach Eugene Bareman, as MMA Fighting reported.
Their two championship fights defined the rivalry; the shared sessions at City Kickboxing marked a later chapter.
Sources
Tags: Boxing, Combat Sports
