Charles Oliveira, the UFC lightweight champion, was in great spirits heading into the UFC 274 weigh-ins. He was ready to defend his title on May 7 inside the Footprint Arena in Phoenix against Justin Gaethje. Now, after his rise to the top was praised by many, he has come crashing down to earth.
At the UFC 274 weigh-ins, Oliveira came out with just a few minutes left to go before the deadline. He weighed in at 155.5, half a pound over championship weight. Oliveira had an hour right after his weight was announced to cut that 1/2-pound mark. He took the whole hour but could still not make the necessary weight. There was no change.
As a result of him not making weight, Oliveira has been stripped of the UFC lightweight title. Gaethje, who made weight earlier and has already gone up to 165, is in line to win the title. If Oliveira wins on Saturday, he will not take home anything. This is one of the first times in UFC history a champion has lost his or her title at the scales.
MORE: Sign up to watch the UFC 274 PPV, exclusively on ESPN+
Oliveira has had issues in the past when it came to making weight. He missed weight four times in his UFC career, the last time in 2016 against Ricardo Lamas. Since then, he has had no problem cutting weight in 12 straight fights before UFC 274. The last time he competed in a catchweight contest was in March 2020, when Kevin Lee missed weight.
“Do Bronx” is on a 10-fight win streak. He beat Michael Chandler at UFC 262 to win the lightweight title. At UFC 269 in December, he defeated Dustin Poirier via submission to defend the belt.
Outside of Oliveira, only one other fighter competing at UFC 274 did not make weight. Norma Dumont came in at 146.5 for her featherweight fight against Macy Chiasson (145.5). As a result, she was forced to give up 30% of her purse for the bout.
MORE: UFC 274 odds, expert picks, predictions, betting trends for Charles Oliveira vs. Justin Gaethje
When is UFC 274: Charles Oliveira vs. Justin Gaethje?
Date: Saturday, May 7
Start time: 6 p.m. ET
Prelims: 8 p.m. ET
Main card (PPV): 10 p.m. ET
Main event: 12:15 a.m. ET (approx.)
UFC 274: Charles Oliveira vs. Justin Gaethje takes place on Saturday, May 7. The early prelims kick off the event at 6 p.m. ET. The prelims will begin at 8 p.m. ET and the main card will start at 10 p.m. ET. Oliveira and Gaethje should make their way to the octagon around midnight ET, depending on the length of the undercard bouts.
Click here to learn about the different pricing and bundling options with the ESPN+ platform.
How to watch UFC 274: Charles Oliveira vs. Justin Gaethje
TV channels: ESPN+, ESPN Deportes
Live stream: ESPN+
The main card for UFC 274 is available in the U.S. and Mexico on the ESPN+ subscription streaming service for a pay-per-view cost. That portion of the event begins at 10 p.m. ET.
Earlier fights are viewable live on ESPN+, the WatchESPN app and, for the early prelims, on UFC Fight Pass.
In Canada, the main card pay-per-view is available on Bell, Rogers, Shaw, SaskTel, Videotron, Telus, Eastlink and UFC PPV on UFC Fight Pass.
In the United Kingdom, the main card will be available on BT Sport 1, with the prelims available on UFC Fight Pass.
In Australia, the main card will be on Main Event, Fetch TV, and UFC PPV on UFC Fight Pass.
Charles Oliveira vs. Justin Gaethje price: How much does UFC 274 cost?
$74.99 (current ESPN+ subscribers)
$99.98 (new subscribers)
In the U.S., the UFC 274 main card is available via pay-per-view on ESPN+, which also requires a subscription. The PPV price for UFC 274 is $74.99 for current subscribers. New subscribers can pay a bundle price of $99.98 for the UFC 274 pay-per-view and an ESPN+ annual subscription, which offers savings of more than 30 percent.
Product
Prices
ESPN+ Monthly Subscription
$6.99/month
ESPN+ Annual Subscription
$69.99/year
The Disney Bundle w/Hulu Ad-Supported
$19.99/month
The Disney Bundle w/Hulu No-Ads
$13.99/month
UFC PPV Standalone
$74.99 each
UFC PPV Package (UFC PPV & ESPN+ Annual)
$99.98, then $69.99/year
UFC PPV & The Disney Bundle
$88.98, then $13.99/month
UFC 274 fight card
Main Card (10 p.m. ET)
Charles Oliveira vs. Justin Gaethje for the UFC lightweight title
Rose Namajunas (c) vs. Carla Esparza 2 for the UFC strawweight title
Michael Chandler vs. Tony Ferguson; Lightweights
Mauricio Rua vs. Ovince Saint Preux; Light heavyweights
Donald Cerrone vs. Joe Lauzon; Lightweights
Prelims (8 p.m. ET)
Randy Brown vs. Khaos Williams; Welterweights
Macy Chiasson vs. Norma Dumont; Featherweights
Brandon Royval vs. Matt Schnell; Flyweights
Blagoy Ivanov vs. Marcos Rogerio de Lima; Heavyweights
Early Prelims (6 p.m. ET)
Francisco Trinaldo vs. Danny Roberts; Welterweights
Tracy Cortez vs. Melissa Gatto; Flyweights
Kleydson Rodrigues vs. C.J. Vergara; Flyweights
Ariane Carnelossi vs. Loopy Godinez; Strawweights
Journey Newson vs. Fernie Garcia; Bantamweights
Andre Fialho vs. Cameron VanCamp; Welterweights
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