Like it or not, weight-cutting is deeply rooted in mixed martial arts. MMA adopted its weight-cutting from the sport of wrestling, where it is presumed to be very advantageous to be the biggest and strongest in your weight class. Known as the ‘fight before the fight,’ most UFC fighters cut anywhere from 5-25 pounds, with some fighters even in excess of 30 pounds.
Weight-cutting is the ultimate test of discipline and willpower. Many fighters in the sport consider it very unprofessional to miss weight. In this series, we will shine a light on fighters who cut a massive amount of weight, who have missed weight multiple times in the past, who have made weight-class changes, along with how the weight-cut and weigh-in could affect possible upcoming match-ups. Basically, every aspect of weight-cutting and how it affects the fight game.
Charles “Do Bronx” Oliveira (30-8 MMA, 18-8 UFC)
Featherweight (145lbs.): 7-4 (UFC), Missed weight 3x
Lightweight (155lbs.): 11-4 (UFC)
Charles Oliveira is an extremely skilled fighter that has been in the UFC for over 10 years. Oliveira actually began his career with the promotional giant in the lightweight division where he had a 5 fight stint before deciding that he needed a change. During Oliveira’s first stint at lightweight he amassed a 2-2, 1 NC record.
While in the featherweight division Charles fared pretty well against the high level competition but always seemed to struggle when it came to the scale. Oliveira missed weight three times over the course of his four year stint in the featherweight division.
When Oliveira made his return to the lightweight division in 2016, though he lost two of his first three fights in the division, he had definitely found the correct weight class to compete at his best. ‘Do Bronx’ has a 9-3 record this time around in the 155lbs. division and is riding an eight-fight win streak on his way to fight Michael Chandler at UFC 262 on May 15.
