According to Chael Sonnen, things could get very interesting during the UFC 300 weigh-ins on Friday morning.
With the promotion’s landmark event mere hours away, 26 total fighters — including 12 current or former world champions — will step on the scale ahead of their respective bouts.
Speaking with co-host and UFC Hall of Famer Daniel Cormier on their ESPN program Good Guy/Bad Guy, the three-time title challenger claims to have heard rumblings that the Charles Oliveira camp is struggling to get their man down to the 156-pound limit for his lightweight title eliminator with streaking standout Arman Tsarukyan.
“Right now with Team Oliveira, their biggest concern is not with Saturday,” Sonnen said. “They’ve got one opponent first and this opponent has beaten them before several times, and that is the scale. And right now, they’re getting some weight off and they’re a little bit worried.
“This is arguably a number one contendership match and just to remind you, Dana White will not allow you to fight for the title next after previously missing weight so this could have some implications.”
Chael Sonnen says he has inside information that Charles Oliveira’s team is concerned about him making weight for #UFC300 😳
“Right now, they are getting some weight off and they are a little bit worried about [Charles].”
🎥 @espnmma #UFC #MMA pic.twitter.com/vRPXWNX4Id
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) April 12, 2024
Charles Oliveira Has a History of Struggling on the Scale
As Chael Sonnen states, this is not the first time that ‘Do Bronx’ has struggled with making weight. Oliveira was famously stripped of the lightweight title at UFC 274 after stepping on the scale a half-pound over the limit for his title clash with Justin Gaethje. The fight moved forward as scheduled, but Oliveira was deemed ineligible to win the title.
Never forget when Charles Oliveira dropped the hardest weight cut photo of all time.#UFC300 pic.twitter.com/lRJaeBNiTk
— I AM SATURDAY (@I_AM_SATURDAY) April 12, 2024
Oliveira submitted Gaethje in the opening round, leaving the 155-pound crown without a king. With the win, Oliveira was given another opportunity to reclaim the belt in a battle with Islam Makhachev at UFC 280. The ‘Dagestani Destroyer’ dispatched ‘Do Bronx’ with a second-round arm-triangle choke.
Originally, Oliveira had earned a rematch with Makhachev following a spectacular first-round knockout of Beneil Dariush in June. Unfortunately, plans to run it back at UFC 294 were dashed after Oliveira sustained a cut while training, forcing him out of the bout.
The official UFC 300 weigh-ins are scheduled to begin at noon ET on Friday, April 12. Fighters will have a two-hour window to step on the scale. Athletes who miss weight may be given one additional hour from the time of their initial weigh-in to try and lose the remaining weight. If unsuccessful, they will forfeit a percentage of their purse which goes to their opponent. In more extreme cases, the bout may be canceled altogether.
You can watch a live stream of the official UFC 300 weigh-ins below:
