Former UFC interim lightweight champion Dustin Poirier was surprised by Charles Oliveira missing weight ahead of UFC 274.
Poirier lost to Oliveira at UFC 269 last December. Just a few months later, Oliveira was slated to face Justin Gaethje in the UFC 274 main event but was stripped of his belt just hours before the fight due to missing championship weight.
Oliveira went on to earn the win over Gaethje via first-round submission, but the lightweight title is now vacant. Oliveira is expected to fight for the now-vacant title against a top contender like Islam Makhachev.
During a recent interview on THE FIGHT with Teddy Atlas, Poirier reacted to Oliveira’s weight-cutting debacle ahead of UFC 274.
“I was shocked on the second (miss),” Poirier said of Oliveira’s weight cut. “I was kinda surprised when he came in a little over, but maybe they misjudged some things or the scale was different back in the locker room, whatever, I don’t know. But I thought in that hour time, he would come back and be on weight, especially in a championship fight. I was surprised.”
Poirier was then asked whether or not Oliveira was physically able to make the full cut to 155lbs.
“I’ve never completely stopped losing weight, but I’ve been in a position where I was in a sauna for a very long time and my body was just burned out… (But) I’ve always pushed the extra bit and made weight… they weren’t carrying him (Oliveira) out, he wasn’t stumbling around,” Poirier said. “He’s always really lean, and he’s long and tall, but he’s a big guy. He didn’t look like he needed to be helped. He still had life in his body. He could’ve, it looked like, tried to lose more weight. (I was shocked), it was a championship fight!”
Poirier has recently alluded to a desire for a rematch with Oliveira next, although it’s unclear if he’ll wait it out for another fight with him. Poirier has also teased a potential move to welterweight to face Colby Covington or Nate Diaz.
Oliveira has had his fair share of weight-cutting issues over his UFC career, dating back to his time in the featherweight division. He’ll look to right the ship leading up to his next fight.
Enjoyed reading this article? Share it on social media along with your thoughts on Poirier’s comments!
Continue Reading Poirier: It Looked Like Oliveira Could Have Lost The Last Half-A-Pound at MMA News.