The UFC lightweight championship is on the line for only one person at UFC 274. Defending champion Charles Oliveira failed to make the 155-pound weight limit at Friday's weigh-in. Oliveira will be stripped of his title and ineligible to win it back in the main event. As a consequence, only his opponent Justin Gaethje is eligible to win the championship.
Oliveira initially weighed in at 156 pounds. He stripped naked for a subsequent attempt but was still a half-pound over the strict 155-pound weight limit. "Do Bronx" was allocated one extra hour to shed off the excess weight. Non-title fights have an excess one-pound weight allowance meaning a fighter can weigh in as high as 156 pounds for a lightweight fight or 171 pounds for a 170-pound welterweight fight. That lenience is not offered to fighters competing for a UFC title.
#UFC274 Weigh-in Results: Charles Oliveira 155.5 lbs. (Has an hour to cut final half pound) pic.twitter.com/I5xWU8L2HT
— Aaron Bronsteter (@aaronbronsteter) May 6, 2022
The promotion announced after the weigh-ins that if Oliveira were to win the fight on Saturday, he would be declared the No. 1 contender for the vacant title and will fight the next challenger for the championship at a time and place to be determined at a later date, according to Yahoo Sports' Kevin Iole.
"I made weight Thursday night," Oliveira said in an interview with ESPN. "Man, we're not here to make up stories. I swear in the name of my daughter, the most important thing in my life. I made weight on UFC's scale on Thursday night, like I do every time. On Friday morning, we went there [to check the weight] and it was 1kg [2,2 pounds] over. I said, 'This is crazy. I've not drunk or eaten anything, I have to be lower than that. You're crazy.' And we started this war [cutting weight again].
"Every other fighter [said] the same thing, 300g or 500g [0.6 to 1.1 pounds] over. We saw that they even told the commission it was over, and they never told us. And still, as the champion, I dedicated to cut the weight and there was 0,5 pounds left, which is the exact 0,5 pounds over in the scale. The champion has a name and his name is Charles Oliveira. I came here to once again show why I'm the champion, and I'll show it."
UFC 274 is headlined by Oliveira vs. Gaethje. The co-main event is a rematch eight years in the making as reigning women's strawweight champion Rose Namajunas fights former champion Carla Esparza. Namajunas, Gaethje and Esparza were the first three fighters to make weight. Oliveira did not attempt to make weight until the final five minutes of the two-hour weigh-in window.
UFC 274 takes place at Footprint Center in Phoenix, Arizona on Saturday, May 7. Other notable fights on the card include Michael Chandler vs. Tony Ferguson and Donald Cerrone vs. Joe Lauzon.
Can't get enough boxing and MMA? Get the latest in the world of combat sports from two of the best in the business. Subscribe to Morning Kombat with Luke Thomas and Brian Campbell for the best analysis and in-depth news.
