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Charles Oliveira was forced to vacate the UFC lightweight title just one day before his upcoming fight with Justin Gaethje. 'Do Bronx' missed weight for his championship bout with Gaethje at UFC 274 after coming in 0.5 pounds over the 155lbs limit.
Even if he does beat 'The Highlight' on Saturday, Oliveira will remain a former champion but will only achieve top contender status and get to fight for the title next.
After failing to make weight, the Brazilian and his camp claimed that something was wrong with the scale used by the UFC to measure the weight of fighters.
Oliveira allegedly weighed in on a scale provided by the UFC a day earlier and made 155lbs. However, on the day of the official weigh-ins, the scale showed he's 0.5 lbs heavier. It wasn't just Oliveira, some other fighters also claimed that the scale was apparently malfunctioning.
UFC strawweight Ariane Carnelossi, who is also set to compete on the card, took to Twitter to claim that someone "messed with the fighter’s scale leaving it with a 0.5lb difference."
Amid the controversy surrounding the scale, the Arizona Boxing & Mixed Martial Arts Commission released an official statement on the same, which reads as follows:
"Promoters are allowed to use the scale of their choice for official weigh-ins, as long as it has been deemed appropriately calibrated by Arizona Boxing & MMA Commission Staff. Staff reviewed the official weigh-in scale to ensure proper calibration and found no issues prior to and during the official weigh-in. Any scales used for any purpose other than official weigh-ins [such as those that may be used for fighters to unofficially test their weight] are not calibrated or inspected by Commission Staff as they are typically provided by the Promoter, not the Arizona Boxing & MMA Commission." [h/t MMA Fighting]
Check out the tweet below:
Former opponent calls Charles Oliveira's failure to make weight a "disgrace"
Charles Oliveira's former opponent Paul Felder took to Twitter to jibe at the Brazilian following his failure to make championship weight. Felder termed the incident a "disgrace" and said that the former champ has let down the entire lightweight division, including his upcoming opponent Justin Gaethje.
"Wonder if he still wants to fight at 145. I have nothing against the champ. But this is a disgrace. And I honestly feel most for Justin. What an absolute let down for everyone in the division. #sadday."
Check out the tweet below:
Paul Felder and Charles Oliveira fought each other at UFC 218 back in 2017. Felder emerged victorious via TKO in the second round. Oliveira hasn't lost a single fight in the UFC since and is currently on a 10 fight winning streak.
