Charles Oliveira blew weight for his title fight with Justin Gaethje at UFC 274 — and is no longer a UFC champion as a result.
Oliveira’s loss at the scale came as part of a dramatic morning, one that saw both “Do Bronx” and fellow Brazilian Norma Dumont miss weight for their fights. Both fighters were given an additional hour to cut weight, after making their initial attempts late in the weigh-in window. Both had used a barrier, hitting 146.5 pounds (Dumont) and 155.5 pounds (Oliveira).
UFC officials later announced that Dumont had halted her cut, and would pay a fine of 30% for missing weight. Oliveira, who needed to hit championship weight (155) in order to simply retain his title, continued his cut.
An hour later, Oliveira hit the the scales for a second attempt — and was once again heavy at 155.5 pounds, stripped down and weighing in behind a barrier.
The end result, the UFC lightweight championship was vacated, Oliveira having been stripped for the weight miss. Only Justin Gaethje will be eligible to win the title on Saturday in Phoenix. Should Oliveira win the fight, the belt will remain vacant.
It’s not the first time a UFC fighter has been stripped for failing to make weight. Inaugural UFC women’s flyweight champion Nicco Montano was stripped of her belt following UFC 228, after a weight cut gone wrong sent her to hospital. The fight would never take place; Montano was stripped regardless. She never actually stepped on the scale, however, failing to weigh in at all.
Outside of the UFC, KSW champ Daniel Torres was stripped of his title last year, after missing weight for KSW 65. Brandon Halsey, once Bellator’s middleweight champ, had it happen in 2015. Invicta FC atomweight champ Jinh Yu Frey, now a UFC strawweight, went through it as well. But Oliveira’s miss in almost certainly the highest-profile miss at the scales in years. And perhaps ever. It may also signal that “Do Bronx” is compromised, after a tough weight cut. How that factors in to the fight remains to be seen.
UFC 274 takes place Saturday, May 7, 2022 at the Footprint Center in Phoenix, Arizona.
