The UFC has stripped Charles Oliveira of the Lightweight Title after the Brazilian failed to make weight ahead of his UFC 274 title bout against Justin Gaethje.
UFC 274 promises to be a banger of an event with so many exciting fights on the card. The most notable amongst these fights is the lightweight championship between champion Charles Oliveira and number one contender Justin Gaethje. But with so little time to go before the fight, Oliveira has been stripped of his title after he failed to make weight ahead of their epic showdown. The main event will still go ahead, with only Gaethje having the opportunity to win the title, with the belt now considered vacant.
Oliveira can win the belt back if he beats Gaethje, and then beats the next contender. The Brazilian was half a pound over the 155 lbs limit when he stepped on the scales last evening. He was given a further hour to make weight, but couldn’t manage to do so.
Charles Oliveira has missed weight by .5 pounds ahead of #UFC274 and the UFC lightweight title has been vacated.
This is the first time a UFC champion has lost their belt after stepping on the scale and missing the weight limit. pic.twitter.com/eyQW54y5Wz
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) May 6, 2022
The UFC is not generally this strict when it comes to non-title fights with the fighters being given a one-pound allowance when they hit the scales. The dynamics are different in title bouts, where it is imperative for the fighters to ensure that they make weight.
Even though the champion has failed to make weight, his opponent did not have the same problems as he came in at 155 lbs. Gaethje will be in the running for his second title shot, as he lost his first title bout to then-champion Khabib Nurmagomedov.
Oliveira, who goes by the moniker “Du Bronx”, had to go through 28 fights before he became champion by beating Micheal Chandler. He becomes the first champion in history to have been stripped of his title for missing weight.
