UFC Exec Disputes UFC 274 Scale Controversy: “Scale Was Accurate”

UFC Vice President of Regulatory Affairs Marc Ratner denies there was any wrongdoing with the official scale ahead of UFC 274.

Charles Oliveira, who was the UFC lightweight champion entering UFC 274, failed to make championship weight and was stripped of his title. As a result, Justin Gaethje was the only fighter in the matchup eligible to earn the title in the UFC 274 headliner.

Oliveira and his team have claimed that something was wrong with the scales, which prompted him to miss the 155lb limit. However, he would later admit that he has no excuses for failing to make weight ahead of his latest title defense.

In a recent interview with MMA on SiriusXM, Ratner addressed the controversy surrounding Oliveira’s weigh-in.

“The official scale, which was the one they weighed in on Friday… 28 of the fighters made weight,” Ratner said of the UFC 274 weigh-ins. “So I’m very, very sure there’s nothing untoward on that scale. That scale was accurate. And what people are talking about, the night before, there’s a scale where a fighter can come down and checked their weight. Some fighters wanted to change the scale from pounds to kilograms, which you can do.

“And I think that may have knocked the scale out of calibration, the practice scale. And when we found out there was a problem with the practice scale on Friday morning..they got another scale that was calibrated and put it out there. So on Friday morning, they would go to the scale, and they would know if it was over and they’d have a chance to lose the weight.

“I am not sure the time [Charles Oliveira] and his camp came down on Friday. He’s saying that he checked the weight on Thursday night and he was fine, but I can say on Friday that there was nothing wrong with the official scale.”

Oliveira went on to defeat Gaethje in the UFC 274 main event via first-round submission. He is now the No. 1 contender and is expected to fight for the vacant belt later this year.

UFC President Dana White also alluded to an issue with people switching the scale between kilograms and pounds during his UFC 274 post-fight press conference. He also iterated that a security guard will need to be present to monitor the scales going forward.

Oliveira has had issues making weight in the past, dating back to the beginning of his UFC tenure at featherweight. He would eventually move up to lightweight and go on the current run he’s on with 11 straight victories.

Continue Reading UFC Exec Disputes UFC 274 Scale Controversy: “Scale Was Accurate” at MMA News.