"You're champ for a reason" - Islam Makhachev reacts to Charles Oliveira being stripped of lightweight title
Islam Makhachev isn't kicking former UFC lightweight champion Charles Oliveira while he's down.
Oliveira was stripped of his title after missing weight for his UFC 274 fight by half a pound. While many other fighters and fans have reacted by throwing a lot of hate in Oliveira's direction, Makhachev instead sent some positive words to the former champion. After calling the situation "Big Drama," Makhachev wrote:
"Anyway, keep your head up Charles and good luck tomorrow, we all know you’re champ for a reason. And I’m looking to fight the winner of this fight, either for vacant title or new LW champion."
Anyway, keep your head up Charles and good luck tomorrow, we all know you’re champ for a reason. And I’m looking to fight the winner of this fight, either for vacant title or new LW champion 🏆
Big Drama
Oliveira was stripped of his UFC lightweight belt after weighing in at half a pound over the 155 lbs championship limit. The Arizona commission gave him an hour to lose the half-pound, but upon weighing in again he was still 155.5 pounds. The UFC announced shortly after that Oliveira would be stripped of the belt.
Oliveira and Justin Gaethje will still fight at UFC 274, but only Gaethje will be eligible to win the lightweight title. If Oliveira wants to win his title back, he'll have to emerge victorious this weekend and then fight again for the vacant title, as Makhachev suggested. He'll most probably face Makhachev, who is on a ten-fight win streak in the UFC lightweight division.
Charles Oliveira has missed weight by .5 pounds ahead of #UFC274 and the UFC lightweight title has been vacated.
This is the first time a UFC champion has lost their belt after stepping on the scale and missing the weight limit. https://t.co/eyQW54y5Wz
UFC fighters react to Charles Oliveira missing weight and being stripped of his belt
No UFC champion has ever missed weight for a title fight in the history of the promotion, so to say that the events at the UFC 274 weigh-ins were dramatic would be under-selling it. As Oliveira failed to make weight again and news circulated that he would be stripped, other UFC fighters took to Twitter to share their shock and dismay. Below are some of the reactions:
Making weight is always hard. But thinking you’re on weight, then missing weight, just to have to go lose more weight after you’ve lost your initial sweat is a living nightmare both physically and mentally. #ufc274
Apparently scale out the back said he was on weight and then official up front said he wasn’t. For context, we weigh in twice infront of officials before we head to the real scale, once at the hotel and once at the back of the arena. 2 scales say he is 145, official says 145.5
Often out the back my weight on the digital scale is different than the official scale, usually I’m 0.5 or so of a difference between the two. You gotta feel for Charles here
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
There are still a lot of questions left as this story develops. It's unclear as to why exactly Oliveira's team decided he should show up to the weigh-ins with just five minutes left to step on the scale. Many fighters are also pointing out that the digital scale backstage was half a pound lighter than the official commission scale used.
If the scale being heavy is true that cannot happen! Unfortunate turn at UFC 274!
If the commission scale was miscalibrated, it would be quite the injustice for Charles Oliveira.