Charles Oliveira has been stripped of the UFC lightweight title after failing to make weight for his bout with Justin Gaethje at UFC 274.
Oliveira (32-8) came in a half-pound over the 155lb limit, meaning only Gaethje can win the title on Saturday night at the Footprint Center in Phoenix. However, if Oliveira wins, he will be the No 1 contender and get a shot at winning the title back in his next fight.
The fight against Gaethje will be the co-main event at UFC 274, along with Rose Namajunas’ strawweight title defence against former champion Carla Esparza.
Oliveira ran into trouble in his lightweight title fights against Michael Chandler and Dustin Poirier, rallying to beat both with a resolve that had been questioned earlier in his career. The Brazilian will likely need to dig deep again against Gaethje, one of the most aggressive fighters in any weight class.
“Listen, he’s a truck,” Oliveira said. “He only moves forward, I only move forward, so there’s definitely going to be collisions, definitely going to be a clash.”
Title fight or not, it promises to be a thrilling conclusion to a main card that also includes Chandler facing former champion Tony Ferguson, and Donald Cerrone squaring off against Joe Lauzon in what could potentially be the final fight in the career of “The Cowboy.”
The fight with Gaethje will be Oliveira’s second since taking the lightweight title from Chandler a year ago. Oliveira was wobbled by Chandler before knocking him out in the second round and had some similar shaky moments against Poirier in December before submitting him in the third round for his 10th straight win.
The wins seemed to allow Oliveira to shed his reputation as a frontrunner, but Gaethje (24-3) believes constant pressure can bring back the quit in him.
“All my criticism of Charles is from a kid that we were all talking about, we all watched grow,” Gaethje said. “Now we’re talking about a man with confidence. A different person, but ultimately the same Charles is still there.”
Gaethje won the interim lightweight title by pummelling Ferguson in 2020, but lost the title to Khabib Nurmagomedov in a second-round submittal in Abu Dhabi later that year. Gaethje, from Safford in eastern Arizona, moved up to the No 1 contender in the lightweight class with a unanimous decision over Chandler in November.
Now he gets another shot at the title, this time against a crafty fighter who has the most submissions in UFC history with 20.
“I create car crashes and I am the object with the most force,” Gaethje said. “If he wants to play that game, I’m more than happy. He will have to.”
Namajunas 'transformed'
Namajunas (12-4) and Esparza (19-6) will meet in a rematch eight years in the making.
Esparza finished Namajunas to win the inaugural strawweight title in 2014, but was mauled by Joanna Jędrzejczyk in her first title defence. The fighter from Los Angeles has been clawing her way back ever since, rounding out the rest of her attack to go with her elite wrestling.
Esparza last fought a year ago, taking out Yan Xiaonan with a second-round technical knockout to earn a long-awaited title shot.
“This title will mean everything to me,” Esparza said. “Just an accumulation of all these years and all the hard work. It would really make a statement. Not just as a fighter but as a person.”
Namajunas has made a few strides of her own.
The fighter from Milwaukee earned the strawweight title by beating Jędrzejczyk in 2018, but lost it to Jessica Andrade in her first title defence. Namajunas then beat Andrade in the rematch and reclaimed the title by beating Zhang Weili in April 2021. She also won the rematch with Zhang in November, earning a split decision.
Now she gets a chance against Esparza again.
“I’m a completely different person and I think it shows in my fighting,” Namajunas said. ”Obviously, over eight years you should be getting better, physically growing up, but spiritually I feel like I’m totally transformed and just really in love with every moment.”
Abu Dhabi traffic facts
Drivers in Abu Dhabi spend 10 per cent longer in congested conditions than they would on a free-flowing road
The highest volume of traffic on the roads is found between 7am and 8am on a Sunday.
Travelling before 7am on a Sunday could save up to four hours per year on a 30-minute commute.
The day was the least congestion in Abu Dhabi in 2019 was Tuesday, August 13.
The highest levels of traffic were found on Sunday, November 10.
Drivers in Abu Dhabi lost 41 hours spent in traffic jams in rush hour during 2019
'The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey'
Rating: 3/5
Directors: Ramin Bahrani, Debbie Allen, Hanelle Culpepper, Guillermo Navarro
Writers: Walter Mosley
Stars: Samuel L Jackson, Dominique Fishback, Walton Goggins
Business Insights
- As per the document, there are six filing options, including choosing to report on a realisation basis and transitional rules for pre-tax period gains or losses.
- SMEs with revenue below Dh3 million per annum can opt for transitional relief until 2026, treating them as having no taxable income.
- Larger entities have specific provisions for asset and liability movements, business restructuring, and handling foreign permanent establishments.
Thank You for Banking with Us
Director: Laila Abbas
Starring: Yasmine Al Massri, Clara Khoury, Kamel El Basha, Ashraf Barhoum
Rating: 4/5
World Cup final
Who: France v Croatia
When: Sunday, July 15, 7pm (UAE)
TV: Game will be shown live on BeIN Sports for viewers in the Mena region
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2017%20RESULTS%3A%20FRENCH%20VOTERS%20IN%20UK
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MATCH INFO
Tottenham Hotspur 1
Kane (50')
Newcastle United 0
The years Ramadan fell in May
Company profile
Name: Infinite8
Based: Dubai
Launch year: 2017
Number of employees: 90
Sector: Online gaming industry
Funding: $1.2m from a UAE angel investor
England squad
Goalkeepers: Jordan Pickford, Nick Pope, Aaron Ramsdale
Defenders: Trent Alexander-Arnold, Conor Coady, Marc Guehi, Reece James, Harry Maguire, Tyrone Mings, Luke Shaw, John Stones, Ben White
Midfielders: Jude Bellingham, Conor Gallagher, Mason Mount, Jordan Henderson, Declan Rice, James Ward-Prowse
Forwards: Tammy Abraham, Phil Foden, Jack Grealish, Harry Kane, Bukayo Saka, Emile Smith Rowe, Raheem Sterling
The Cairo Statement
1: Commit to countering all types of terrorism and extremism in all their manifestations
2: Denounce violence and the rhetoric of hatred
3: Adhere to the full compliance with the Riyadh accord of 2014 and the subsequent meeting and executive procedures approved in 2014 by the GCC
4: Comply with all recommendations of the Summit between the US and Muslim countries held in May 2017 in Saudi Arabia.
5: Refrain from interfering in the internal affairs of countries and of supporting rogue entities.
6: Carry out the responsibility of all the countries with the international community to counter all manifestations of extremism and terrorism that threaten international peace and security
Results
3pm: Maiden Dh165,000 (Dirt) 1,400m, Winner: Lancienegaboulevard, Adrie de Vries (jockey), Fawzi Nass (trainer).
3.35pm: Maiden Dh165,000 (Turf) 1,600m, Winner: Al Mukhtar Star, Adrie de Vries, Fawzi Nass.
4.10pm: Handicap Dh165,000 (D) 2,000m, Winner: Gundogdu, Xavier Ziani, Salem bin Ghadayer.
4.45pm: Handicap Dh185,000 (T) 1,200m, Winner: Speedy Move, Sean Kirrane, Satish Seemar.
5.20pm: Handicap Dh185,000 (D) 1,600m, Winner: Moqarrar, Dane O’Neill, Erwan Charpy.
5.55pm: Handicap Dh175,000 (T) 1,800m, Winner: Dolman, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar.
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl, 48V hybrid
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Power: 325bhp
Torque: 450Nm
Price: Dh289,000
Gothia Cup 2025
4,872 matches
1,942 teams
116 pitches
76 nations
26 UAE teams
15 Lebanese teams
2 Kuwaiti teams
The Farewell
Director: Lulu Wang
Stars: Awkwafina, Zhao Shuzhen, Diana Lin, Tzi Ma
Four stars
Director: Laxman Utekar
Cast: Vicky Kaushal, Akshaye Khanna, Diana Penty, Vineet Kumar Singh, Rashmika Mandanna
Rating: 1/5
SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20SAMSUNG%20GALAXY%20Z%20FOLD%204
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11 cabbie-recommended restaurants and dishes to try in Abu Dhabi
Iqbal Restaurant behind Wendy’s on Hamdan Street for the chicken karahi (Dh14)
Pathemari in Navy Gate for prawn biryani (from Dh12 to Dh35)
Abu Al Nasar near Abu Dhabi Mall, for biryani (from Dh12 to Dh20)
Bonna Annee at Navy Gate for Ethiopian food (the Bonna Annee special costs Dh42 and comes with a mix of six house stews – key wet, minchet abesh, kekel, meser be sega, tibs fir fir and shiro).
Al Habasha in Tanker Mai for Ethiopian food (tibs, a hearty stew with meat, is a popular dish; here it costs Dh36.75 for lamb and beef versions)
Himalayan Restaurant in Mussaffa for Nepalese (the momos and chowmein noodles are best-selling items, and go for between Dh14 and Dh20)
Makalu in Mussaffa for Nepalese (get the chicken curry or chicken fry for Dh11)
Al Shaheen Cafeteria near Guardian Towers for a quick morning bite, especially the egg sandwich in paratha (Dh3.50)
Pinky Food Restaurant in Tanker Mai for tilapia
Tasty Zone for Nepalese-style noodles (Dh15)
Ibrahimi for Pakistani food (a quarter chicken tikka with roti costs Dh16)
The biog
Hobby: Playing piano and drawing patterns
Best book: Awaken the Giant Within by Tony Robbins
Food of choice: Sushi
Favourite colour: Orange
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