"We made the weight and went to bed making it" - Charles Oliveira's coach looks back at the UFC 274 weight miss controversy ahead of UFC 280
With UFC 280 close on the horizon, Charles Oliveira's coach, Diego Lima, has taken a look back at UFC 274 and the Brazilian fighter's controversial weight miss that led him to be stripped of the title.
'Do Bronx' was looking to make his second successful title defense when he was booked to face Justin Gaethje in the main event of UFC 274. Everything seemed to be going to plan until Oliveira stepped onto the scale. According to the Arizona State Commission, the Brazilian was over by half a pound even after being given an extra hour to try and drop the weight.
Oliveira was subsequently stripped of the title, and Gaethje was the only fighter eligible to win the now-vacant belt. The Brazilian rallied through the turmoil and dispatched 'The Highlight' in the first round via a rear-naked choke. According to Diego Lima, however, Charles Oliveira made weight and should be considered the champ:
"We made the weight and went to bed making it. We posted it on our stories. It was very weird when we woke up and he was over weight."
Charles Oliveira also gave his thoughts on the same:
"They took my belt because of half a pound. I don't give a f*** what they think. I'm going to keep making history. I'm going for another title defense. I'm not going [to UFC 280] to win a title back. I'm going to defend it. Nobody can take that out of my head."
Catch the UFC 280 countdown here:
Chael Sonnen doesn't believe Charles Oliveira will be able to submit Islam Makhachev
Chael Sonnen has made yet another bold claim in regards to UFC 280's main event. According to 'The American Gangster', he believes Oliveira is going to have a near impossible task of submitting Makhachev from the bottom position.
Sonnen referred to the highly skilled grappling and submission game that both men possess. 'Do Bronx' is perhaps the most skilled Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioner in the organization. The Russian fighter is a sambo world champion and an elite-level wrestler.
Discussing how the end of the fight might play out, Sonnen quoted MMA legend Royce Gracie in regards to the potential finish:
"Finding a submission from your back, is on the top of the list of things that don't work. Royce himself told us in 2001, that's not what jiu-jitsu was made for... Charles isn't gonna submit anybody from his back. Charles has not submitted anybody good from his back."
The highly anticipated lightweight clash headlines UFC 280's card this coming weekend in Abu Dhabi. It features one of the most stacked cards of the year and both Charles Oliveira (11) and Islam Makhachev (10) will put their impressive winstreaks on the line for a shot at gold.
Catch Chael Sonnen's video here: