{"id":12509,"date":"2025-01-15T11:48:54","date_gmt":"2025-01-15T10:48:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/theplayoffs.news\/en\/?p=12509"},"modified":"2025-01-15T11:54:52","modified_gmt":"2025-01-15T10:54:52","slug":"ufc-foes-to-training-partners-israel-adesanya-trains-with-former-middleweight-rival-ahead-of-the-nassourdine-imavov-fight","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/theplayoffs.news\/en\/ufc-foes-to-training-partners-israel-adesanya-trains-with-former-middleweight-rival-ahead-of-the-nassourdine-imavov-fight\/","title":{"rendered":"UFC Foes to Training Partners: Israel Adesanya trains with former Middleweight rival ahead of the Nassourdine Imavov fight!"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Rivalries often turn into unexpected friendships in the <a href=\"https:\/\/theplayoffs.news\/en\/mma\/\" class=\"trk-cta-link\" data-cta-trk='{\"ctaType\":\"Link\",\"ctaSubType\":\"main\"}'>MMA<\/a> world. Remember when Israel Adesanya and Robert Whittaker first met in the octagon back in 2019 at UFC 243? It was an explosive affair that ended with Adesanya claiming the UFC middleweight crown through a spectacular second-round knockout.&nbsp;<\/p><p>They ran it back in 2022, where Adesanya again emerged victorious, though this time via a hard-fought decision. Now, in a fascinating turn of events that shows the true spirit of martial arts, these former foes have joined forces!<\/p><p><strong>Also Read: <a href=\"https:\/\/theplayoffs.news\/en\/hes-gonna-have-to-get-knocked-out-chael-sonnen-renders-his-verdict-on-the-biggest-fight-of-2025\/\" class=\"trk-cta-link\" data-cta-trk='{\"ctaType\":\"Link\",\"ctaSubType\":\"main\"}'>Chael Sonnen Renders His Verdict On Jon Jones&rsquo; Biggest Fight Of 2025!<\/a><\/strong><\/p><h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Israel Adesanya spars with Robert Whittaker aka Bobby Knuckles!<\/h2><p>As Adesanya gears up for his crucial comeback fight against Nassourdine Imavov at UFC Abu Dhabi on February 1st, he&rsquo;s made an intriguing choice for his training partner. The Nigerian-Kiwi striker, who&rsquo;s looking to bounce back from two tough losses, has brought Robert Whittaker into his camp.<\/p><figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">New year, new friends &#128522; <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/UC1esTzLqx\" class=\"trk-cta-link\" data-cta-trk='{\"ctaType\":\"Link\",\"ctaSubType\":\"main\"}'>pic.twitter.com\/UC1esTzLqx<\/a><\/p>&mdash; Israel Adesanya (@stylebender) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/stylebender\/status\/1878584052720239031?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" class=\"trk-cta-link\" data-cta-trk='{\"ctaType\":\"Link\",\"ctaSubType\":\"main\"}'>January 12, 2025<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure><p>It&rsquo;s quite the plot twist. They shared training photos and a caption that simply reads, &ldquo;New year, new friends.&rdquo; This collaboration comes at a critical time for Adesanya, who&rsquo;s facing a must-win situation to avoid his first-ever three-fight losing streak.The timing of this unlikely partnership really couldn&rsquo;t be better for Adesanya. <\/p><p>His recent setbacks: a submission loss to Dricus du Plessis and that shocking upset against Sean Strickland &ndash; have shown some gaps in his game that Whittaker might help fill. The former champ&rsquo;s wrestling and grappling expertise could prove invaluable against someone like Imavov.&nbsp;<\/p><figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/theplayoffs.news\/en\/go-betmgm-prono\" class=\"trk-cta-img\" data-cta-trk='{\"ctaType\":\"Image\",\"ctaSubType\":\"main\"}' rel=\"nofollow\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1080\" height=\"486\" src=\"https:\/\/theplayoffs.news\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/e48da6fef5344aa5871b51fe32a9580a-9.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12908\"><\/a><\/figure><p>Robert Whittaker himself has been on the sidelines since October, recovering from a nasty facial injury, courtesy of Khamzat Chimaev. But rather than sitting idle, he has chosen to help the very man who defeated him twice. There&rsquo;s something beautifully ironic about that. <\/p><p>These fighters can go from trying to knock each other out to helping each other improve, all in the name of martial arts growth!<\/p><p><strong>(Image Credit: Jasmin Frank &ndash; Imagn Images)<\/strong><\/p>\n<div class=\"mm-layout mm-layout-type-post mm-layout-slot4\">\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Israel Adesanya reunites with a past rival, preparing alongside him for the looming battle against Nassourdine Imavov!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":12514,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_mux_skip_reasons":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[1783],"tags":[2140,1965,2143,1983,2238],"class_list":["post-12509","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mma","tag-israel-adesanya","tag-nassourdine-imavov","tag-robert-whittaker","tag-ufc","tag-ufc-fight-night"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.8 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>UFC Foes to Training Partners: Israel Adesanya trains with former Middleweight rival ahead of the Nassourdine Imavov fight! - The Playoffs<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Israel Adesanya reunites with a past rival, preparing alongside him for the looming battle against Nassourdine Imavov.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/theplayoffs.news\/en\/ufc-foes-to-training-partners-israel-adesanya-trains-with-former-middleweight-rival-ahead-of-the-nassourdine-imavov-fight\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"UFC Foes to Training Partners: Israel Adesanya trains with former Middleweight rival ahead of the Nassourdine Imavov fight! - The Playoffs\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Israel Adesanya reunites with a past rival, preparing alongside him for the looming battle against Nassourdine Imavov.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/theplayoffs.news\/en\/ufc-foes-to-training-partners-israel-adesanya-trains-with-former-middleweight-rival-ahead-of-the-nassourdine-imavov-fight\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"The Playoffs\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-01-15T11:54:52+01:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/theplayoffs.news\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/USATSI_21388163_168415981_lowres.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1951\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1300\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Zaid Quraishi\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@ThePlayoffsEN\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@ThePlayoffsEN\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Zaid Quraishi\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"NewsArticle\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/theplayoffs.news\/en\/ufc-foes-to-training-partners-israel-adesanya-trains-with-former-middleweight-rival-ahead-of-the-nassourdine-imavov-fight\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/theplayoffs.news\/en\/ufc-foes-to-training-partners-israel-adesanya-trains-with-former-middleweight-rival-ahead-of-the-nassourdine-imavov-fight\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Zaid Quraishi\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/theplayoffs.news\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/ccd5901be00586ad6098d47c91b67e29\"},\"headline\":\"UFC Foes to Training Partners: Israel Adesanya trains with former Middleweight rival ahead of the Nassourdine Imavov fight!\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-01-15T10:48:54+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-01-15T10:54:52+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/theplayoffs.news\/en\/ufc-foes-to-training-partners-israel-adesanya-trains-with-former-middleweight-rival-ahead-of-the-nassourdine-imavov-fight\/\"},\"wordCount\":353,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/theplayoffs.news\/en\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/theplayoffs.news\/en\/ufc-foes-to-training-partners-israel-adesanya-trains-with-former-middleweight-rival-ahead-of-the-nassourdine-imavov-fight\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/cdn.theplayoffs.news\/en\/\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/USATSI_21388163_168415981_lowres.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Israel Adesanya\",\"Nassourdine Imavov\",\"Robert Whittaker\",\"UFC\",\"UFC Fight Night\"],\"articleSection\":[\"MMA\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"copyrightYear\":\"2025\",\"copyrightHolder\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/theplayoffs.news\/en\/#organization\"}},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/theplayoffs.news\/en\/ufc-foes-to-training-partners-israel-adesanya-trains-with-former-middleweight-rival-ahead-of-the-nassourdine-imavov-fight\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/theplayoffs.news\/en\/ufc-foes-to-training-partners-israel-adesanya-trains-with-former-middleweight-rival-ahead-of-the-nassourdine-imavov-fight\/\",\"name\":\"UFC Foes to Training Partners: Israel Adesanya trains with former Middleweight rival ahead of the Nassourdine Imavov fight! - The Playoffs\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/theplayoffs.news\/en\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/theplayoffs.news\/en\/ufc-foes-to-training-partners-israel-adesanya-trains-with-former-middleweight-rival-ahead-of-the-nassourdine-imavov-fight\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/theplayoffs.news\/en\/ufc-foes-to-training-partners-israel-adesanya-trains-with-former-middleweight-rival-ahead-of-the-nassourdine-imavov-fight\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/cdn.theplayoffs.news\/en\/\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/USATSI_21388163_168415981_lowres.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-01-15T10:48:54+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-01-15T10:54:52+00:00\",\"description\":\"Israel Adesanya reunites with a past rival, preparing alongside him for the looming battle against Nassourdine Imavov.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/theplayoffs.news\/en\/ufc-foes-to-training-partners-israel-adesanya-trains-with-former-middleweight-rival-ahead-of-the-nassourdine-imavov-fight\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/theplayoffs.news\/en\/ufc-foes-to-training-partners-israel-adesanya-trains-with-former-middleweight-rival-ahead-of-the-nassourdine-imavov-fight\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/theplayoffs.news\/en\/ufc-foes-to-training-partners-israel-adesanya-trains-with-former-middleweight-rival-ahead-of-the-nassourdine-imavov-fight\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/cdn.theplayoffs.news\/en\/\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/USATSI_21388163_168415981_lowres.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/cdn.theplayoffs.news\/en\/\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/USATSI_21388163_168415981_lowres.jpg\",\"width\":1951,\"height\":1300,\"caption\":\"Sep 9, 2023; Sydney, NSW, AUSTRALIA; Israel Adesanya reacts during his fight with Sean Strickland (not pictured) in UFC 293 at Qudos Bank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jasmin Frank-USA TODAY Sports\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/theplayoffs.news\/en\/ufc-foes-to-training-partners-israel-adesanya-trains-with-former-middleweight-rival-ahead-of-the-nassourdine-imavov-fight\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/theplayoffs.news\/en\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"UFC Foes to Training Partners: Israel Adesanya trains with former Middleweight rival ahead of the Nassourdine Imavov fight!\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/theplayoffs.news\/en\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/theplayoffs.news\/en\/\",\"name\":\"The Playoffs\",\"description\":\"Share passion for sports &amp; betting\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/theplayoffs.news\/en\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/theplayoffs.news\/en\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/theplayoffs.news\/en\/#organization\",\"name\":\"The Playoffs\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/theplayoffs.news\/en\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/theplayoffs.news\/en\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/theplayoffs.news\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/selo-tp-2020-415x280-1.webp\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/theplayoffs.news\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/selo-tp-2020-415x280-1.webp\",\"width\":415,\"height\":280,\"caption\":\"The Playoffs\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/theplayoffs.news\/en\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/x.com\/ThePlayoffsEN\",\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/theplayoffs_en\/\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/theplayoffs.news\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/ccd5901be00586ad6098d47c91b67e29\",\"name\":\"Zaid Quraishi\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/theplayoffs.news\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/45a2e87a611774e8e06036f2a9c83e2e?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/45a2e87a611774e8e06036f2a9c83e2e?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Zaid Quraishi\"},\"description\":\"I am a dedicated MMA and Boxing content writer at The Playoffs. I was instantly hooked on MMA after watching the fight between Lyoto Machida vs. Gegard Mousasi back in 2014, and since then, i have been an avid writer with a deep love for the sport and its techniques, providing readers with a thorough understanding of the sport. My favorite aspect of working at The Playoffs is the creative freedom it provides. The diverse range of topics, from listicles and SEO to news articles, keeps me engaged and motivates me to continuously improve my skills! I aim to capture the excitement of the combat sports world in my writing, acting as the middleman between fighters and their die-hard fans. It is kind of like a referee, but with words!\",\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/zaid-quraishi-884927240?utm_source=share&utm_campaign=share_via&utm_content=profile&utm_medium=android_app\"],\"url\":\"https:\/\/theplayoffs.news\/en\/author\/zaid\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"UFC Foes to Training Partners: Israel Adesanya trains with former Middleweight rival ahead of the Nassourdine Imavov fight! - The Playoffs","description":"Israel Adesanya reunites with a past rival, preparing alongside him for the looming battle against Nassourdine Imavov.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/theplayoffs.news\/en\/ufc-foes-to-training-partners-israel-adesanya-trains-with-former-middleweight-rival-ahead-of-the-nassourdine-imavov-fight\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"UFC Foes to Training Partners: Israel Adesanya trains with former Middleweight rival ahead of the Nassourdine Imavov fight! - The Playoffs","og_description":"Israel Adesanya reunites with a past rival, preparing alongside him for the looming battle against Nassourdine Imavov.","og_url":"https:\/\/theplayoffs.news\/en\/ufc-foes-to-training-partners-israel-adesanya-trains-with-former-middleweight-rival-ahead-of-the-nassourdine-imavov-fight\/","og_site_name":"The Playoffs","article_modified_time":"2025-01-15T10:54:52+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1951,"height":1300,"url":"https:\/\/theplayoffs.news\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/USATSI_21388163_168415981_lowres.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Zaid Quraishi","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@ThePlayoffsEN","twitter_site":"@ThePlayoffsEN","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Zaid Quraishi","Est. reading time":"2 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https:\/\/theplayoffs.news\/en\/ufc-foes-to-training-partners-israel-adesanya-trains-with-former-middleweight-rival-ahead-of-the-nassourdine-imavov-fight\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/theplayoffs.news\/en\/ufc-foes-to-training-partners-israel-adesanya-trains-with-former-middleweight-rival-ahead-of-the-nassourdine-imavov-fight\/"},"author":{"name":"Zaid Quraishi","@id":"https:\/\/theplayoffs.news\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/ccd5901be00586ad6098d47c91b67e29"},"headline":"UFC Foes to Training Partners: Israel Adesanya trains with former Middleweight rival ahead of the Nassourdine Imavov fight!","datePublished":"2025-01-15T10:48:54+00:00","dateModified":"2025-01-15T10:54:52+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/theplayoffs.news\/en\/ufc-foes-to-training-partners-israel-adesanya-trains-with-former-middleweight-rival-ahead-of-the-nassourdine-imavov-fight\/"},"wordCount":353,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/theplayoffs.news\/en\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/theplayoffs.news\/en\/ufc-foes-to-training-partners-israel-adesanya-trains-with-former-middleweight-rival-ahead-of-the-nassourdine-imavov-fight\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/cdn.theplayoffs.news\/en\/\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/USATSI_21388163_168415981_lowres.jpg","keywords":["Israel Adesanya","Nassourdine Imavov","Robert Whittaker","UFC","UFC Fight Night"],"articleSection":["MMA"],"inLanguage":"en-US","copyrightYear":"2025","copyrightHolder":{"@id":"https:\/\/theplayoffs.news\/en\/#organization"}},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/theplayoffs.news\/en\/ufc-foes-to-training-partners-israel-adesanya-trains-with-former-middleweight-rival-ahead-of-the-nassourdine-imavov-fight\/","url":"https:\/\/theplayoffs.news\/en\/ufc-foes-to-training-partners-israel-adesanya-trains-with-former-middleweight-rival-ahead-of-the-nassourdine-imavov-fight\/","name":"UFC Foes to Training Partners: Israel Adesanya trains with former Middleweight rival ahead of the Nassourdine Imavov fight! - The Playoffs","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/theplayoffs.news\/en\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/theplayoffs.news\/en\/ufc-foes-to-training-partners-israel-adesanya-trains-with-former-middleweight-rival-ahead-of-the-nassourdine-imavov-fight\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/theplayoffs.news\/en\/ufc-foes-to-training-partners-israel-adesanya-trains-with-former-middleweight-rival-ahead-of-the-nassourdine-imavov-fight\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/cdn.theplayoffs.news\/en\/\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/USATSI_21388163_168415981_lowres.jpg","datePublished":"2025-01-15T10:48:54+00:00","dateModified":"2025-01-15T10:54:52+00:00","description":"Israel Adesanya reunites with a past rival, preparing alongside him for the looming battle against Nassourdine Imavov.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/theplayoffs.news\/en\/ufc-foes-to-training-partners-israel-adesanya-trains-with-former-middleweight-rival-ahead-of-the-nassourdine-imavov-fight\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/theplayoffs.news\/en\/ufc-foes-to-training-partners-israel-adesanya-trains-with-former-middleweight-rival-ahead-of-the-nassourdine-imavov-fight\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/theplayoffs.news\/en\/ufc-foes-to-training-partners-israel-adesanya-trains-with-former-middleweight-rival-ahead-of-the-nassourdine-imavov-fight\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/cdn.theplayoffs.news\/en\/\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/USATSI_21388163_168415981_lowres.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/cdn.theplayoffs.news\/en\/\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/USATSI_21388163_168415981_lowres.jpg","width":1951,"height":1300,"caption":"Sep 9, 2023; Sydney, NSW, AUSTRALIA; Israel Adesanya reacts during his fight with Sean Strickland (not pictured) in UFC 293 at Qudos Bank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jasmin Frank-USA TODAY Sports"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/theplayoffs.news\/en\/ufc-foes-to-training-partners-israel-adesanya-trains-with-former-middleweight-rival-ahead-of-the-nassourdine-imavov-fight\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/theplayoffs.news\/en\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"UFC Foes to Training Partners: Israel Adesanya trains with former Middleweight rival ahead of the Nassourdine Imavov fight!"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/theplayoffs.news\/en\/#website","url":"https:\/\/theplayoffs.news\/en\/","name":"The Playoffs","description":"Share passion for sports &amp; betting","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/theplayoffs.news\/en\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/theplayoffs.news\/en\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/theplayoffs.news\/en\/#organization","name":"The Playoffs","url":"https:\/\/theplayoffs.news\/en\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/theplayoffs.news\/en\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/theplayoffs.news\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/selo-tp-2020-415x280-1.webp","contentUrl":"https:\/\/theplayoffs.news\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/selo-tp-2020-415x280-1.webp","width":415,"height":280,"caption":"The Playoffs"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/theplayoffs.news\/en\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/x.com\/ThePlayoffsEN","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/theplayoffs_en\/"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/theplayoffs.news\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/ccd5901be00586ad6098d47c91b67e29","name":"Zaid Quraishi","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/theplayoffs.news\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/45a2e87a611774e8e06036f2a9c83e2e?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/45a2e87a611774e8e06036f2a9c83e2e?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Zaid Quraishi"},"description":"I am a dedicated MMA and Boxing content writer at The Playoffs. I was instantly hooked on MMA after watching the fight between Lyoto Machida vs. Gegard Mousasi back in 2014, and since then, i have been an avid writer with a deep love for the sport and its techniques, providing readers with a thorough understanding of the sport. My favorite aspect of working at The Playoffs is the creative freedom it provides. The diverse range of topics, from listicles and SEO to news articles, keeps me engaged and motivates me to continuously improve my skills! I aim to capture the excitement of the combat sports world in my writing, acting as the middleman between fighters and their die-hard fans. It is kind of like a referee, but with words!","sameAs":["https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/zaid-quraishi-884927240?utm_source=share&utm_campaign=share_via&utm_content=profile&utm_medium=android_app"],"url":"https:\/\/theplayoffs.news\/en\/author\/zaid\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/theplayoffs.news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12509"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/theplayoffs.news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/theplayoffs.news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theplayoffs.news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/14"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theplayoffs.news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12509"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/theplayoffs.news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12509\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12911,"href":"https:\/\/theplayoffs.news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12509\/revisions\/12911"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theplayoffs.news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/12514"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/theplayoffs.news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12509"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theplayoffs.news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12509"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theplayoffs.news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12509"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}