Charles Oliveira has held the UFC lightweight title for the last year or so, and his last victory was at UFC 269 where he was able to defeat Dustin Poirier. It was a huge win for the fighter, and fans were excited to see how his next title defense would go. As many of you know by now, he is fighting Justin Gaethje this weekend, and it should be yet another exciting matchup between two warriors.
Unfortunately, there has been a huge twist in this weekend’s plans. Today, both fighters stepped on the scale, and Oliveira was unable to make weight. He weighed in at 155.5 pounds and an hour later, he weighed in at the exact same number.
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As a result of this breakage of the rules, Oliveira has been stripped of his title. Luckily, the fight is still going to take place, however, the only person who is allowed to win the lightweight title is Gaethje. If Oliveira were to win the fight, he will not get his belt back, and instead, it will be considered vacant. Needless to say, this is a huge shock to the lightweight division.
It is very rare that a fighter doesn’t make weight, especially when the stakes are so high. Having said that, there is no doubt that UFC 274 is already incredibly dramatic.