Charles Oliveira was stripped of his UFC title as he couldn't make the weight category.
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After Charles Oliveira failed to make weight on Friday, the UFC 274 main event has lost some of its sheens. A UFC official has determined that the lightweight championship is now vacant, and only Justin Gaethje will be able to win it, according to ESPN’s Brett Okamoto. Oliveira’s championship was revoked when he weighed in at 155.5 pounds. He was allowed an extra hour to shed the half-pound he needed to meet the lightweight restriction, but he failed.
Statement given to me by Lenee Breckenridge, UFC pr director pic.twitter.com/oZJ2nKxDh2
— Kevin Iole (@KevinI) May 6, 2022
Charles Oliveira had tweeted earlier in the day that he was going to lose weight. Oliveira has struggled with weight loss on several occasions throughout his mixed martial arts career. This is the seventh time since 2012 that the Brazilian star has failed to make the weight. Oliveira first signed with the UFC in 2010, after going 12-0 in various promotions around the world. He became winless in his next three fights as a lightweight after winning his first two fights, losing to Jim Miller and Donald Cerrone. He also had a win reversed after authorities discovered he had hit Nik Lentz with an illegal knee.
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Oliveira went down to featherweight after that three-fight span in an attempt to resurrect his career. From 2012 to 2016, he had sporadic success but missed weight four times in a ten-fight stretch. The most heinous occurred in November 2016, just prior to a bout with Ricardo Lamas. Oliveira was nine pounds over the featherweight limit at 155 pounds. Lamas consented to continue the fight, but Oliveira was penalised 30% of his prize money. Lamas won the fight by guillotine choke submission.
Oliveira returned to lightweight after that disaster. This is his first time in this class missing the 155-pound weight restriction. He has won ten straight bouts dating back to 2018, and at UFC 262 he fought Michael Chandler to claim the lightweight belt for the first time in his career. In December, Oliveira successfully defended his title by defeating Dustin Poirier. This is the first time since 2016 that a UFC fighter has failed to make weight for a championship bout. Anthony Pettis was found ineligible to win the interim featherweight championship after weighing in at 148 pounds. In the main event of UFC 206, he lost to Max Holloway, who was granted the title. Oliveira is the only reigning champion in UFC history to miss weight before a championship bout.
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