Daniel Cormier believes Charles Oliveira feels 'angry and slighted' heading into Justin Gaethje fight
Daniel Cormier doesn't think Charles Oliveira is in the best state of mind heading into the UFC 274 headliner against Justin Gaethje. According to 'DC', Oliveira was angry during fight week as talks of Gaethje's power were doing the rounds.
Cormier also believes that the former lightweight champ probably feels slighted after missing weight due to a reported issue with the scales. The former UFC double champ said on ESPN MMA:
"So the thing about Oliveira is right now, he's been angry all weekend because everybody spoke about Justin Gaethje's power and he's like, 'Listen, I knocked Michael Chandler out with my left hand. Justin could not knock him out in fifteen minutes.' So he is very worked up about that and also, he feels slighted. He feels like he was on weight the night before, woke up a pound heavy."
Watch Cormier's take on Oliveira going into UFC 274 below:
While he earlier tweeted about being on point for the weigh-ins, Oliveira would tip the scale half a pound heavier than the 155 lbs limit. 'Do Bronx' became the first champion to lose his title due to missing weight after failing to shed the extra half a pound in another hour.
As I work and watch all the build to the main card all I think and am constantly reminded is that Charles Oliviera is a bad bad man! My goodness #UFC274 is insane.
Charles Oliveira reportedly woke up over two pounds heavier on the day of the weigh-ins
In the immediate aftermath of Charles Oliveira's unfortunate weight miss, several fighters claimed that the hotel scale was reset overnight. According to multiple sources, fighters woke up weighing heavier with the differential varying from 0.5 to 2 pounds.
'Do Bronx' sincerely claimed to have successfully made weight on Thursday, only to wake up over two pounds heavier on Friday morning. The 32-year-old told ESPN MMA after the ceremonial weigh-ins:
“I made weight Thursday night. Man, we’re not here to make up stories. I swear in the name of my daughter, the most important thing in my life. I made weight on UFC’s scale on Thursday night, like I do every time. On Friday morning, we went there [to check the weight] and it was 1kg [2,2 pounds] over. I said, ‘This is crazy. I’ve not drunk or eaten anything, I have to be lower than that. You’re crazy.’"
Watch Charles Oliveira's interview with ESPN MMA below:
While Oliveira missed weight four-times as a UFC featherweight, he has weighed in lighter than the limit on multiple occasions since moving to lightweight.
The former lightweight champion will now hope to secure the number one contender spot against Justin Gaethje. Should 'Do Bornx' emerge victorious at UFC 274, the Brazilian will be offered another opportunity to compete for the vacant lightweight title.