So much had transpired in the build up to UFC 274 that it’s almost impossible to narrow it down to a concise summary. Rose Namajunas and Carla Esparza were running it back eight years on. Shogun Rua and Ovince St. Preux were also meeting for the second time, with a similar jump in time between fights.
Then there was Charles Oliveira, who on Friday had missed weight by a mere half pound — a half pound that nonetheless led to him being stripped of his title. As a result, only Justin Gaethje was eligible to win gold on Saturday at UFC 274. Oliveira, in essence, was fighting for the right to be the number one contender.
Add to that, some drama on the night of. Just one fight into Saturday’s broadcast, it was announced that Donald Cerrone vs. Joe Lauzon was off. The culprit, “Cowboy” had suffered a non-COVID related illness, and was unable to compete, with doctors not able to clear him.
That still left a fantastically deep event with two title fights, even in the absence of those two fan favorites. Michael Chandler vs. Tony Ferguson would just have to make up for it.
Following the event, tune in for the UFC 274 post-fight press conference, featuring all of the night’s big winners. A live stream of the affair is available above.
