Charles Oliveira stamped his authority across the UFC's lightweight division after beating Justin Gaethje in dominant fashion at UFC 274. Despite fighting in front of a possibly hostile crowd in Gaethje's home state of Arizona, 'do Bronx' not only traded with 'The Highlight' in the pocket but dropped him and sunk in a rear-naked choke to secure the win.
The now-former champion made headlines when he missed weight by half a pound at the official weigh-ins, subsequently being forced to forfeit the belt. Many questioned how it would affect Charles Oliveira's mentality. He lost the title in such an anticlimactic fashion and would lose a portion of his purse, possibly even his share of the pay-per-view revenue. However, the Brazilian proved that his resolve is second to none.
In a video uploaded soon after the fight, former UFC title challenger and MMA analyst Chael Sonnen claimed that 'do Bronx' has possibly lost over $2 million. Explaining the basis for his argument, Sonnen said:
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"I could probably come up with, right here in front of you, about $2.3 million that that scale fail cost him. Just so you understand how participation works for defending a championship. You must understand that word - defending a championship."
Sonnen estimated that it was safe to assume Oliveira's pay-per-view revenue share from UFC 274 would've probably been $1 million. Add to that the sponsorship money, which he guessed to be $50,000. 'The American Gangster' noted that the Brazilian's next fight will be for the title, but not one he will be defending:
"So you're talking about the exact same thing, just that sponsor money goes down. You're looking at another 30 grand... but also the pay-per-view clause, you're looking at another million bucks. Don't forget the escalation that would go into his built-in show fee. Does not happen."
Chael Sonnen added that 'do Bronx' may have lost the chance of earning a post-fight bonus for his RNC of Justin Gaethje, which may have been worth $50,000. In addition, the Arizona State Boxing & MMA Commission would have withheld anything from 10-20% of Oliveira's purse owing to the weight miss.
If Sonnen's calculations and assumptions are to be believed, then Charles Oliveira has most likely lost well over $2 million due to his 0.5lb discrepancy in making championship weight.
Watch Chael Sonnen speak about Charles Oliveira's missed earnings in the video below:
Dana White confirmed Charles Oliveira will get PPV points for UFC 274
In the post-fight press conference following the event, UFC president Dana White put doubts to rest and assured that despite having lost his belt due to not making weight, 'do Bronx' would get his share of the pay-per-view sales.
However, no decision has been made yet about whether Oliveira will be eligible to earn pay-per-view points from his next fight, which will technically be for the vacant title.
Former lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov called for a fight in Abu Dhabi between Oliveira and Islam Makhachev, while 'do Bronx' himself called out Conor McGregor after submitting Justin Gaethje. For now, the 155lb title stands vacant, but Charles Oliveira is arguably the best lightweight in the UFC.
Watch Dana White address the media after UFC 274 below: