Dana White Responds to Israel Adesanya saying Robert Whittaker UFC 271 Fight Is a Lie

Israel Adesanya called "cap" on the UFC's announcement he will be fighting Robert Whittaker at UFC 271.

That was news to an irritated Dana White.

“Why would we lie?” White said in his press conference after UFC 269. “When have we ever f--king lied? This fight’s coming up...we lied about it? Twenty f--king years, have we ever lied about making a fight? Some fights are harder to make than others, but I don’t think we’ve ever lied about making a fight. Why would we lie about that fight?”

UFC and Adesanya's representatives both announced the bout Saturday night, but the reigning middleweight champ apparently isn't fond of a rematch with Whittaker.

Adesanya previously defeated Whittaker via second-round knockout at UFC 243.  Whittaker has since reeled off three straight victories to move into the top contender spot for the middleweight championship.

Adesanya has essentially vanquished all comers within the middleweight division but was unsuccessful in his attempt to unseat Jan Błachowicz as light heavyweight champ at UFC 259. He then moved back down to his natural fighting weight for a second victory against Marvin Vettori.

Jared Cannonier is the only top-five middleweight who has not yet lost to Adesanya.