Marred by controversy, Charles Olivera defeated Justin Gaethje by rear-naked choke in Round 1 of their main event matchup at UFC 274. A packed crowd at the Footprint Center in Phoenix, Arizona was stunned when the former UFC Undisputed Lightweight Champion came back from being dropped multiple times, getting his opponent on the ground and securing the submission.
Ahead of the fight, the Brazillian fighter was stripped of his title and moved to the number one contender position after missing weight by half a pound (155.5 lbs). Due to the weight controversy, Gaethje was the only fighter eligible to win the belt in the main event.
Earlier in the night, Rose Namajunas faced off against Carla Esparza in a rematch with her Women’s Strawweight title on the line. The two went all five rounds in a relatively uneventful fight that resulted in a judge’s decision. In the end, Esparza edged out a split decision victory to become the new UFC Undisputed Women’s Strawweight Champion. Fan-favorite Tony Ferguson also suffered a devastating front kick knockout in his fight against Michael Chandler, which added to the shake-up in their division.
It is currently unclear how the UFC Lightweight division will play out with the title now unclaimed.
In case you missed it, the UFC is now set to head to Singapore for UFC 275, the promotion’s first Southeast Asia pay-per-view.
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