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Charles Oliveira no longer holds the UFC lightweight championship.
Yet after another dominating performance, Oliveira once again proved that he owns and operates the lightweight division.
In less than a round, Oliveira forced Justin Gaethje to tap out in the UFC 274 main event. Despite the victory, Oliveira officially lost the title after he failed to make weight for the fight. Losing the belt on the scale is a miserable way to drop a championship, but it does not appear he will be apart from his belt for long.
Oliveira (33–8, 1 NC) finished the fight by submission with a rear naked choke in the first round. Gaethje (23–4) landed a few clips, but Oliveira had the better technique, striking and jiu-jitsu. The gap further widened between Oliveira and the rest of the division, and he removed any doubt that Gaethje was in the same class as him. Oliveira will now fight to regain his belt, which will, most likely, take place against Islam Makhachev. Oliveira called out Conor McGregor, who is also a potential opponent, but McGregor is a much better fit in a fight against Michael Chandler.
One of the most spectacular knockouts of all-time was delivered by Chandler in his bout against Tony Ferguson. His front face kick sent Ferguson into a different orbit, and the moment was genuinely frightening with Ferguson laid out with his eyes open after spiking his head on the mat. Chandler (23–7) withstood a quick flurry of shots in the face from Ferguson (25–7) to open the first round, but even with significant swelling around his eye, he landed a takedown and finished the round with a vicious array of ground-and-pound. Then came the second round, where Chandler landed a field goal kick to the face of Ferguson.
Ferguson has now dropped four in a row. As he continues to fall in the lightweight rankings, his future in the Octagon is uncertain. And after dropping his past two fights, Chandler is now back in title contention. A fight against McGregor would be a big draw, and the winner could potentially fight for the title.
After that unforgettable finish came one of the worst title fights in UFC history. Rose Namajunas lost her strawweight title to Carla Esparza by split decision in a bout that neither fighter appeared to win.
Namajunas (11–5) lost her title in one of the most miserable ways possible–through the judges’ scorecards. She wasn’t beaten or finished, and while Esparza (19–6) was pushing the grappling, she did absolutely nothing with it. It is a maddening defeat, especially considering Namajunas was winning the exchanges, she just wasn’t engaging and produced practically no offense.
One of the judges actually scored this 49-46 in Esparza’s favor, which is hard to fathom. Yet that is the inherent danger in allowing the judges to control the outcome of a fight. In situations like this, I tend to side with the champion—but two of the three judges felt otherwise. This decision brought back memories of Henry Cejudo defeating Demetrious Johnson for the flyweight title in 2018, which also was a 25-minute bout that appeared to have no clear winner—until the judges awarded the finish (and title) to Cejudo by split decision. It was similar here with Esparza, who defeats Namajunas for a second time for the title.
Namajunas-Esparza wasn’t the only rematch on the card. Maurício “Shogun” Rua and Ovince Saint Preux ran it back from their first meeting in 2014, which Saint Preux won by knockout in only 34 seconds. Like the women’s strawweight title bout, this was also disappointing. It was a slow-moving, prodding fight, with neither 40-year-old Rua or the 39-year-old Saint Preux controlling the pace or flow of the fight. It went the distance, with Saint Preux (26–16) winning by split decision against Rua (27–13–1), who is rapidly approaching the end of his legendary career.
The main card opened with Randy Brown defeating Khaos Williams by split decision in a very competitive bout. Brown (15–4) did enough damage on Williams (13–3) to sway the judges. This was originally scheduled to be “Cowboy” Donald Cerrone against Joe Lauzon, but that was postponed after it was announced Cerrone was unable to compete. The main card turned out to be a great stage for two promising welterweights, and with the win, Brown is going to be on the verge of a top-15 welterweight ranking.
UFC 274 had its share of lows, but the highs were extraordinary. Chandler’s knockout will take its place in UFC lore as an all-time great moment. Daniel Cormier was announced as the next inductee into the UFC Hall of Fame, a well-earned accolade for one of the greats of the sport. And by dismantling Gaethje in less than a round, Oliveira eliminated any remaining doubt that he has a legitimate peer in the lightweight division.
With or without the belt, the night belonged to Oliveira.
LIGHTWEIGHT TITLE BOUT: CHARLES OLIVEIRA VS. JUSTIN GAETHJE – 12:55 AM ET
It didn’t even take Charles Oliveira a full round to finish Justin Gaethje.
Oliveira (33–8, 1 NC) finished Gaethje by submission with a rear naked choke in the first round. It was a spectacular performance, and Oliveira was a step ahead of Gaethje (23–4) in striking, technique, and on the ground.
Gaethje clipped Oliveira a couple of times, but what hurts a lot more is that he lost his title by failing to make weight. So even though Oliveira won the fight, the lightweight championship is now vacant.
This is an otherworldly run for Oliveira. He has won 11 in a row, and he is wiping out top contenders in a frightening manner. Even without the title, the lightweight division runs through Oliveira.
WOMEN’S STRAWWEIGHT TITLE BOUT: ROSE NAMAJUNAS (c) VS. CARLA ESPARZA – 12:02 AM ET
To say the Rose Namajunas-Carla Esparza rematch was underwhelming would be an understatement.
Esparza won the title by split decision in one of the most deflating title fights in UFC history.
Five rounds passed, and there was absolutely no engaging by either Namajunas or Esparza. That proved to be an especially risky game plan by Namajunas (11–5), who left her title reign in the hands of the judges. I have a hard time believing anyone saw that fight as 49-46 in Esparza’s favor, but that was one of the scorecards. And though there was hardly any action, whatsoever, throughout the 25 minutes, a split decision crowned Esparza (19–6) the new champion.
This is the sixth straight win for Esparza, who is strawweight champion for the first time since March 2015.
LIGHTWEIGHT BOUT: TONY FERGUSON VS. MICHAEL CHANDLER – 11:29 PM ET
Tony Ferguson opened his bout at 274 by stepping back in time, rocking Michael Chandler with a left hook. But for Ferguson, the highlights didn’t last long.
Chandler’s takedown and ground-and-pound evened the first round, and then came one of the most devastating knockouts I’ve ever seen.
Chandler opened the second round with the single greatest front kick to the face in UFC history. That blow knocked Ferguson out cold, and instantly added momentum for Chandler’s push for a title shot—or a bout against Conor McGregor.
Chandler (23–7) generated so much power for that boot to the face, almost like he was kicking a field goal. The replay makes it look even more terrifying. Ferguson (25–7) was out immediately, and spiked his head on the ground, and it was reassuring to see him stand up again after that blow.
The win is monumental for Chandler, who had dropped his past two. But for Ferguson, who has now lost four straight, it is another step closer toward the end of an iconic career.
LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT BOUT: MAURICIO “SHOGUN” RUA VS. OVINCE SAINT PREUX – 10:57 PM ET
Maurício “Shogun” Rua and Ovince Saint Preux met once before in 2014, and that fight was a burst of energy that saw Saint Preux knockout Rua in only 34 seconds.
The pace and energy was far different in the rematch, with both men—Rua, who is now 40, and Saint Preux, who is 39—considerably more cautious. Much to the frustration of the crowd, very little happened through the first two rounds. The fight went the distance, with Saint Preux (26–16) winning by split decision.
Rua (27–13–1) is approaching the end of his legendary career. He is no longer the fighter he once was, but has achieved an incredible amount of success over the past 18 years.
WELTERWEIGHT BOUT: RANDY BROWN VS. KHAOS WILLIAMS – 10:20 PM ET
Randy Brown won a closely contested fight to open the main card, defeating Khaos Williams by split decision.
The second round was critical for Brown (15–4), and he finally started to showcase some of his versatility on offense, particularly with a long jab and long right hand. The crowd voiced their displeasure over Williams (13–3) losing, and a third-round takedown definitely helped improve his chances of winning. But Brown did more damage throughout the fight, though it was close.
This fight was moved to the main card after “Cowboy” Donald Cerrone was unable to compete in his bout against Joe Lauzon. Despite the disappointment over not seeing Cerrone-Lauzon, this was a really solid opener. The victory increases Brown’s win streak to three, and he now looks for a fight against a ranked opponent.
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UFC 274 has finally arrived, bringing an outstanding slate of fights—but not without controversy.
Lightweight champion Charles Oliveira was set to defend the belt against top-ranked contender Justin Gaethje, but he failed to make weight. That has led to the title being vacated, and puts the Oliveira-Gaethje matchup in an odd predicament. Gaethje will still win the title if he defeats Oliveira, but the best Oliveira can do with a victory is put himself in position to fight for the belt.
The other unfortunate part of 274 is that “Cowboy” Donald Cerrone is now off the card, which was announced by play-by-play man Jon Anik during the early prelims. Cerrone was scheduled to fight Joe Lauzon, but the fight is off due to what Anik described as a non-COVID illness. The main card opener is now a welterweight bout pitting Randy Brown against Khaos Williams.
Even with the setbacks, 274 is still a loaded card. A primary factor for that is Rose Namajunas defending her strawweight title against Carla Esparza. This is a rematch from December 2014, when Esparza schooled Namajunas in the inaugural women’s strawweight title bout. Their bout at 274 is a chance at redemption for Namajunas, who enters this fight at her peak.
Another phenomenal bout is Michael Chandler against Tony Ferguson. This will be a statement victory for whoever gets it. Chandler has dropped his past two, but both were competitive. Ferguson appears to be in the twilight of his career after getting demolished in three consecutive one-sided bouts. A win for Ferguson keeps him in the top-10 rankings and allows him to maintain relevance in the division, but a loss will be devastating. Chandler also needs the win, which will instantly put him back in title contention.
UFC 274 has the potential to be the best fight card of the year. Follow along all night for updates and analysis.
