Israel Adesanya opens up on newfound friendship with Robert Whittaker: "I always had respect, now I have so much love for the guy"

Israel Adesanya has not entered the octagon since last August when he challenged Dricus du Plessis for the middleweight title at UFC 305, suffering a fourth-round submission loss. Ahead of his return against Nassourdine Imavov at UFC Fight Night 250 this weekend, he weighed in on his new friendship with former rival Robert Whittaker.

'The Last Stylebender' said on The Ariel Helwani Show:

"I don't know if I would have hit him with a car, but I definitely would have hit him. I'm just happy he pulled up. I'm happy he came through. I'm happy he just shared his energy with the gym, his skills. We're just two chill guys. We sat down in my house and we were doing the breakdown, but it was like we were kind of just chilling... We were just talking s**t, you know?"

He continued:

"Even after the cameras were off, we had a little bit of just chinwag and it was just cool. Again, why would I hate someone who's on the same journey as me or similar journey as me? Because I understand what he's trying to do or what he's done because he has done it. One of the first to do it from the Anzacs, you know, so yeah, I always had respect for him, but now I have so much love for the guy and I can't wait till we work together more in the future."

Check out Israel Adesanya's comments on Robert Whittaker below:

Adesanya shared the octagon with Whittaker twice, defeating him via second-round knockout to capture the middleweight title at UFC 243 in 2019. He also defended his belt for the fourth of five times when he defeated 'The Reaper' via unanimous decision at UFC 271 in 2022.

Israel Adesanya reflects on rivalry with Alex Pereira

Israel Adesanya also weighed in on his rivalry with Alex Pereira during his recent appearance on The Ariel Helwani Show. He expressed gratitude for their history together, stating:

"God blessed me with a great opponent like Alex Pereira. He blessed me with a great challenge like that. And it's easy to say that now on this side, but f**k, you know, it takes a lot to take on that man and I always knew that we would have history, and I always knew I could best him. And I'm glad God blessed me with that challenge to be able to rise to the occasion."

Check out Israel Adesanya's comments on Alex Pereira below:

Adesanya added that he has plenty of respect for Pereira and wishes him nothing but the best. He noted that he is a fan of what 'Poatan' has accomplished recently.