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Charles Oliveira submits Justin Gaethje at UFC 274

Charles Oliveira
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Charles Oliveira entered UFC 274 fight week in Phoenix as the UFC lightweightchampion and defeated Justin Gaethje in Saturday night’s main event. However,he didn’t leave Footprint Center as champion.

Oliveira (32-8) missed the 155-pound weight limit by four-tenths of a poundFriday, making him the first titleholder in UFC history to be stripped due toa weight miss.

Gaethje (23-4) would have won the title with a victory, but Oliveira emergedvictorious in a short and wild fight via rear-naked choke submission at the3:22 mark of the opening round.

Both fighters landed knockdowns in a frenetic pace. Oliveira scored the onethat counted, however, and followed up on the mat by extending his UFC recordwith his 16th submission win. He’ll be installed as No. 1 contender and fightan opponent to be named later to fill the title vacancy.

“This is a message to the entire division — I am a problem to the entiredivision. That is my title,” Oliveira said.
The evening’s co-feature bout saw a new strawweight champion crowned after abizarre matchup.

Carla Esparza of Redondo Beach, Calif., became a two-time champion by earninga split decision over Colorado’s Rose Namajunas in a matchup that was short inaction, as Namajunas appeared to be completely disengaged.

With little to workwith, the judges scored the bout 48-47 Namajunas, 49-46 Esparza and 48-47Esparza.

Esparza (20-6) is a wrestler and Namajunas (12-5) spent most of the boutcircling away to the outside to avoid potential takedowns.

Esparza was cautious as she closed the distance. Little happened in the firstthree rounds. In the fourth, Esparza landed a pair of takedowns, the secondone with authority. Namajunas never picked up the pace and Esparza’swillingness to at least attempt takedowns spelled the difference.

This marked Esparza’s second win over Namajunas, as she took their first fightin 2014 and won the inaugural UFC strawweight title.

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