"Why would we lie about that fight?" - UFC's Hunter Campbell says they have confirmation 'in writing' after Israel Adesanya hints that Robert Whittaker rematch is not confirmed yetย
Israel Adesanya and Robert Whittaker are supposedly scheduled to face each other in a highly anticipated rematch at UFC 271 next year. However, Adesanya and the UFC do not appear to be on the same page regarding the Whittaker rematch.
The UFC recently released a poster for the matchup between Adesanya and Whittaker. Reacting to the Twitter post, Adesanya posted a 'cap' emoji, which is the millennial term for a lie.
๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐.
๐ณ๐ฌ @Stylebender vs ๐ฆ๐บ @RobWhittakerMMA
[ #UFC271 | Feb 12 ๐ufc.com/UFC-271-Presale | @ToyotaCenter ] https://t.co/dpW4jUTVWQ
@ufc @robwhittakermma @ToyotaCenter ๐งข
However, Hunter Campbell is positive about the upcoming matchup between Adesanya and Whittaker. When asked about Adesanya's tweet at the UFC 269 post-fight press conference, the UFC executive told the media that they have written confirmation from 'The Last Stylebender'.
Dana White and Hunter said they have in writing that @stylebender is committed to fight @robwhittakermma #UFC269
Israel Adesanya and Robert Whittaker clashed for the first time in October 2019 with Whittaker's middleweight strap on the line. Adesanya delivered a second-round knockout win over 'The Reaper' in front of 57,127 fans at Melbourne's Marvel Stadium.
Since then, Israel Adesanya has gone on to defend his title against Yoel Romero, Paulo Costa and Marvin Vettori. Meanwhile, Robert Whittaker has also ammassed a three-fight winning streak, defeating Darren Till, Jared Cannonier and Kelvin Gastelum.
Israel Adesanya's coach is unsure of the matchup
Israel Adesanya's coach Eugene Bareman has hinted that his team might be witholding the matchup against Robert Whittaker. According to Bareman, the fight should take place in a big venue in front of a massive crowd and should be postponed to a later date.
Bareman added that someone else could replace 'The Reaper' for a title shot against Adesanya at UFC 271. He recently told Submission Radio:
"Maybe we are working on something different. Maybe if we can delay this Robert fight for a few months, maybe we can have it in a big stadium in Australia. Maybe that's the right thing to do. And that's okay. Let's get everyone together and delay Robert for a bit. I'm sure Robert would love to do this fight in a massive stadium on his turf... Let's put someone else in this February slot. You don't know, and I'm not willing to confirm it. [Whittaker] had the title fight, and now he might have to be pushed back. I do not know".
Watch Eugene Bareman's full interview with Submission Radio below: