Both defending champions left UFC 274 without their titles, but the circumstances around the end of both fighters’ title reigns were markedly different.
Charles Oliveira lost his title on the scale on Friday when he came in half a pound over the 155-pound championship limit, but there were issues reported with the official scale, with a number of fighters commenting on and off the record about the changes in calibration between the hotel scale and the official scale.
It meant that Oliveira could not leave Phoenix as the lightweight champion, regardless of the result of his main event fight with former interim champ Justin Gathje, who made weight and was eligible to win the title with a victory.
But “Do Bronx” produced a superb performance to recover from twice being dropped to drop Gaethje, then threaten with a succession of submission attempts before eventually forcing the tap to a rear-naked choke.
After his victory, Oliveira declared himself to still be the real champion of the UFC’s lightweight division, and called out Conor McGregor for a fight for the vacant title.
In the night’s co-main event, Carla Esparza claimed a shock win as she dethroned Rose Namajunas to recapture the UFC women’s strawweight title.
After a fight that was lacking in action and entertainment, the crowd rained boos down on the octagon both before and after the official verdict was announced, as Esparza claimed a split-decision victory with scores of 47-48, 49-46, 48-47.
UFC 274: Official Results
MAIN CARD
- Charles Oliveira def. Justin Gaethje via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 3:22
- Carla Esparza def. Rose Namajunas via split decision (47-48, 49-46, 48-47)
- Michael Chandler def. Tony Ferguson via knockout (front kick) – Round 2, 0:17
- Ovince Saint-Preux def. Mauricio Rua via split-decision (29-28, 28-29, 30-27)
- Randy Brown def. Khaos Williams via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
PRELIMINARY CARD
- Francisco Trinaldo def. Danny Roberts via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-26)
- Macy Chiasson def. Norma Dumont via split decision (30-27, 28-29, 30-27)
- Brandon Royval def. Matt Schnell via submission (guillotine choke) – Round 1, 2:14
- Blagoy Ivanov def. Marcos Rogerio de Lima via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
EARLY PRELIMS
- Andre Fialho def. Cameron VanCamp via knockout (punch) – Round 1, 2:35
- Tracy Cortez def. Melissa Gatto via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- C.J. Vergara def. Kleydson Rodrigues via split decision (29–28, 28–29, 29–28)
- Lupita Godinez def. Ariane Carnelossi via unanimous decision (30–27, 30–26, 30–26)
- Journey Newson def. Fernie Garcia via unanimous decision (30–27, 30–27, 29–28)
