Oliveira submits Gaethje, but loses UFC lightweight title

Charles Oliveira racked up an 11th straight victory but lost his lightweight title in the main event of UFC 274 at the Footprint Center in Phoenix, Arizona on the morning of Sunday 8 May 2022.

Oliveira, who moves to 33-8 1 NC, came in over at the weigh-ins (with claims that the scales were inaccurate) to enter the fight with his belt stripped of him, and it looked as if the title would change hands early on when Justin Gaethje knocked him down with a couple of fearsome left hooks.

However, Oliveira was able to sink in a rear-naked choke just over three minutes into the first round, and Gaethje was forced to tap, leaving the title vacant.

“Hey there’s something missing here,” said Oliveira via an interpreter in his post-fight interview, referring to the absence of a belt around his waist. “The champion has a name and it’s Charles Oliveira from the Bronx.”

He added, “This is a message to the entire division, I’m a problem for the entire division. I am the champion, this is my title, it should be here.”

The Brazilian went on to call out Conor McGregor, who was also name checked by Michael Chandler earlier in the card.

The co-main event was a dud of a fight between Rose Namajunas and Carla Esparza, with so little engagement between the pair that they were greeted with a chorus of boos from fans once the match was completed.

Esparza, by showing more intent and half landing a couple of takedowns, took the fight by split decision to dethrone Namajunas, who seemed to have a clear edge in speed and striking ability but refused to do anything more than the occasional attempt to land a strike from the outside.

“I had a gameplan going in there, I wanted the takedown, but gameplans go out the window sometimes and you’ve got to fight the fight that’s put in front of you,” said Esparza, who regained the title she first won – at the time by submitting Namajunas – back in 2014.

The main card opener had Randy Brown defeating Khaos Williams via split decision in a welterweight battle, followed by Ovince Saint Preux edging Mauricio Rua in another split decision in the light heavyweight category, and Michael Chandler knocking out Tony Ferguson early in the second round of their lightweight clash with a devastating front kick.

The next UFC event is a Fight Night at the APEX Facility in Las Vegas on the morning of Sunday 15 May, headlined by a light heavyweight clash between former champion Jan Blachowicz and Aleksandar Rakic.

UFC 274 – Main card results

- Main event: Lightweight championship*: Charles Oliveira def. Justin Gaethje via submission (rear-naked choke), R1, 3:22

- Co-main: Women’s strawweight championship: Carla Esparza def. Rose Namajunas via split decision (47-48 49-46 48-47), R5, 5:00

- Lightweight: Michael Chandler def. Tony Ferguson via KO (front kick), R2, 0:17

- Light heavyweight: Ovince Saint Preux def. Mauricio Rua via split decision (28-29 29-28 30-27), R3, 5:00

- Welterweight: Randy Brown def. Khaos Williams via split decision (29-28 28-29 29-28), R3, 5:00

*Charles Oliveira was overweight at the weigh-in and was stripped of the title, with only Gaethje eligible to win the championship.