In the summer of 2022, the UFC stunned the MMA world just ahead of UFC 274 by revealing that Charles Oliveira had missed weight for his main event bout against Justin Gaethje, weighing in at 155.5 pounds. As a result, ‘Do Bronxs’, the former 155-pound champion, became the first fighter in UFC history to lose his title on the scales, with a 0.5-pound overage. More than two years later, the lingering question still remains: Did the Brazilian actually miss weight?

The Chute Box product stands by his claim that a malfunctioning scale caused the issue. In a recent appearance on the JAXXON Podcast on YouTube, through a translator, he spoke out about the situation, calling the decision to strip him of his 155-pound title a “disrespectful” move from Dana White.

Oliveira said, “What the UFC did was straight up disrespectful, because I always like to check my weight on way Thursday, the night before. So I already had the confidence…but I was already hearing rumors around…by…other people and the other fighters as well that the scale was unscalibrated.”

Furthermore, he also accused the UFC of gross negligence, explaining, “I even got back to the UFC, and they sent emails to me. But when I opened the email, it was empty, so they didn’t really have proof. I was confident when I came back to the hotel, and I was 0.8 pounds 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.”

“First of all, it was the main event. I felt like I should have been the first to know if the scale was messed up or not. They should let me know. I felt disrespected by them not doing it. 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. I had to do one of the things I hate the most…the fuc–ng hot tub. I didn’t want to do the bath.”

“I soaked in there for a minute, and then my underwear was all wet. I went down to weigh again, and when I was about to jump on the scale, my underwear was all wet, and they said, ‘Yo! Take it off because that’s gonna cause some weight’. So I was already 0.2 overweight. When I went up on the scale—underwear off and everything—it was already still on 0.2. So that’s when I knew something was wrong with the scale.”

“I just thought that the UFC did [injustice to me], and I just wish that I had a fair chance,” the Brazilian fighter concluded through his translator.

Oliveira, who initially believed he had made weight during the unofficial weigh-in, missed weight on the official scale, attributing the discrepancy to a malfunctioning scale. He wasn’t the only fighter to question the weighing process at UFC 274. In an interview with MMA Fighting’s Guilherme Cruz, several fighters shared their concerns about the scales. UFC strawweight contender Ariane Carnelossi, for example, referred to the person who tampered with the scale as “genius.” Carnelossi also missed weight by 0.5 lbs.

Top Comment by percy Hulisani

Charles Oliveira was a well oiled machine at his prime by then and this seemed to be a strategic foul...more

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However, the UFC, Dana White, and its executives maintained that the scale was accurate, asserting, “We are very sure that there was nothing untoward on that scale. That scale was accurate.”

During the UFC 274 post-fight news conference, White had also talked about the weigh-in controversy, stating, “It’s a nightmare. I mean, it’s a nightmare. We have this issue where guys come out, and they’ll start checking the (UFC’s) scale the night before. All the Europeans and guys from other parts of the world do kilos, so they all start fuc–ng with the scale to look at kilos. And who knows?” The UFC CEO also talked about a strict measure he’ll be taking up:

“There’s so many moving parts to this beast of a machine that we run every week. We’ve got to have a security guard where the scale is now. It’s something we’re gonna have to do.”

In response, the commission provided its guidelines for the proper use of scales. Let’s take a closer look at those rules.

AZ Boxing & MMA Commission Clears Up UFC 274 & Charles Oliveira’s Scale Controversy

The controversy sparked by Dana White and the UFC left the Arizona Boxing and MMA Commission initially hesitant to be drawn into the criticism, remaining silent at first. However, as fan frustration mounted, the Commission swiftly issued a statement to clarify their role in the weighing process, distinguishing between the official and unofficial weigh-ins.

In a statement to MMA Fighting, a Commission spokesperson explained, “Promoters are permitted to use any scale of their choice for official weigh-ins, provided it is properly calibrated by Arizona Boxing & MMA Commission staff. Our staff thoroughly reviewed the official weigh-in scale to ensure it was correctly calibrated and found no issues before or during the official weigh-in. Scales used for unofficial weight checks are not inspected or calibrated by Commission staff, as these are typically provided by the promoter, not the Arizona Boxing & MMA Commission.”

Nevertheless, even years after UFC 274, the controversy continues to cast a shadow over Dana White and his billion-dollar promotion. This blemish is bound to resurface occasionally, fueling ongoing debates about the integrity of the weigh-in process. In light of this, what’s your perspective on the UFC 274 scale debacle’s impact on Charles Oliveira’s career? Feel free to share your thoughts below.