Charles Oliveira choked out Justin Gaethje in the first round to ensure the lightweight title remains vacant.
Oliveira was stripped of his title on Friday after weighing in half a pound over the 155lb limit. The Brazilian was therefore unable to win the belt against Gaethje who was challenging for gold for the second time.
But the former champion survived an early scare to drop Gaethje before submitting the challenger with a rear-naked choke. Oliveira extended his winning record to 11 fights and will challenge for the vacant title in his next fight.
