Charles Oliveira was stripped of the UFC lightweight title in 2022 before his scheduled title defense against Justin Gaethje at UFC 274. The controversy arose when Oliveira weighed in 0.5 pounds over the championship limit at the official weigh-ins.
While “do Bronx” went on to submit Gaethje in the first round, he was unable to walk away with the belt and the incident left a lasting impression on him.
In a recent appearance on the JAXXON Podcast, Oliveira expressed his frustration with how the situation was handled, insisting that he had made weight the night before.
“What the UFC did was straight up disrespectful,” Oliveira said through an interpreter. “I always like to make weight on Thursday, the night before. I already had the confidence, I already checked the weight, I was already on weight. But I was hearing rumors — not just me, but other fighters too — that the scale wasn’t calibrated properly.”
Oliveira claimed the test scale fighters used during fight week was inaccurate until it was recalibrated on Friday morning. After coming in 0.5 pounds over the 155-pound championship limit, he was given one hour to cut the remaining weight.
Despite his efforts during that hour, Oliveira weighed in at 155.5 pounds again, resulting in him being stripped of the title.
“I felt like I should have been the first person to know if the scale was messed up or not,” Oliveira said. “I felt disrespected by them not doing that. So, when they told me to lose the 0.5 pounds, I went back to the hotel room to try to sweat it out. I had to do one of the things I hate the most — soaking in the hot tub. When I went back to weigh in, my underwear was wet, and they told me to take it off because it could affect the weight. Even without the underwear, I was still 0.2 pounds over. That’s when I knew something was wrong with the scale.”
Several fighters at UFC 274 reportedly experienced similar issues with the test scale, further fueling Oliveira’s frustration.
“I just thought the UFC did an injustice to me, and I wish I had a fair chance,” he said.
