Former undisputed UFC lightweight champion, Charles Oliveira has claimed he was “disrespected” by the promotion after his infamous scale mishap ahead of a slated title defense against Justin Gaethje back in 2022 — which saw him stripped of the crown.
Oliveira, the current number two ranked lightweight contender, most recently returned to winning-ways at UFC 309 back in November at Madison Square Garden, landing an impressive unanimous decision win over two-fight rival, Michael Chandler.
And linked heavily in recent weeks with a title rematch with Islam Makhachev following UFC 311, Oliveira also suggested he would take on former featherweight champion and past-foe, Max Holloway in a symbolic BMF title rematch — potentially as soon as International Fight Week.
Charles Oliveira claims he was “disrespected” by UFC before Justin Gaethje fight
However, during a recent appearance on the JAXXON Podcast, Sao Paulo finisher, Oliveira reflected on his UFC 274 title fight with former interim titleholder, Gaethje — in which he was stopped of the crown prior to the event after tipping the scales by .5 pounds after an issue with calibration of the equipment.
“What the UFC did was straight-up disrespectful;” Charles Oliveira explained. I always check my weight on Thursday, the night before. So, I already had the confidence… But I was already hearing rumors around… That the scale was calibrated. I was confident when I came back to the hotel, and I was 0.8lbs over… It felt like an awkward situation, and I felt disrespected because they took the weigh-in the night before when they were messing with the scale.”
“They should let me know; I felt disrespected by them not doing it,” Charles Oliveira said. “So, when they said that I had to lose that [weight], I came back to the hotel room and started doing what I needed to do to get some sweat off.”
Headlining the event, Oliveira would turn in a first round win over Gaethje, submitting the Arizona striker with a dominant rear-naked choke win, after dropping the title challenger on numerous occasions in the first frame.