Light heavyweight champion Glover Teixeira still considers Charles Oliveira the lightweight titleholder even though Oliveira was stripped of the title for missing weight at UFC 274.
Oliveira tipped the scales a half pound heavy for his scheduled title defense against Justin Gaethje. As a result, he was stripped of the title but the bout with Gaethje moved forward. Oliveira scored a first-round finish solidifying himself as the top contender for the now vacant crown.
Despite the championship being vacant, Teixeira says that Oliveira is still the champion.
“He’s still the champion for me,” Teixeira said during an appearance on The MMA Hour. “It was crazy. It was ridiculous. If he were a couple of pounds, I would say it’s unprofessional on his part, but it was a half pound. And everybody knows about the scale problem. He’s the champion. He’s still the champion.”
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Teixeira understands the rules. In a championship bout, fighters have to weigh in at the weight class limit. They are not afforded the one-pound over allowance.
“If they stripped him, that’s the law and that’s the law,” Teixeira said. “I’m not going to sit here and say, oh that’s wrong. It is kind of wrong, but what are you going to do. It’s the law.”
Glover Teixeira: ‘Charles Oliveira is still the champion’