Charles Oliveira has already made weight for his UFC 280 clash with Islam Makhachev for the lightweight championship, according to his head coach, Diego Lima.
Lima told MMA Fighting that Oliveira hit 155 pounds on Thursday afternoon, more than eight hours before the official UFC 280 weigh-ins in Abu Dhabi.
Chute Boxe’s leader in Sao Paulo shared on Instagram Team Oliveira’s celebration of an “sensational” weight loss in Abu Dhabi. He wrote “we’re going back to bed with mission accomplished. Weight made with excellence. One of our greatest weight-cuts .”
Oliveira has had multiple issues on the scale during his featherweight run in the UFC. He was perfect, however, when he moved full-time to lightweight – until his previous bout, a title defense at UFC 274. Oliveira came in half-pound over the limit, resulting in his being stripped of the title. Justin Gaethje beat Oliveira by submission but the title was still vacant.
On Saturday at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, Oliveira faces Makhachev for the vacant belt, a pairing of two fighters with the longest winning streaks in the division; Oliveira has won his past 11, while Makhachev gets his long-awaited shot at the title after going unbeaten in 10 bouts since 2015.
