UFC star sparks worry with weight cut for title fight - 'Looks like he's dying'

Charles Oliveira has sparked concern among UFC fans after footage emerged of his gruelling weight cut ahead of his clash with Ilia Topuria.

The Brazilian is looking to become a two-time lightweight champion when he takes on 'El Matador.' Oliveira won the vacant title back in 2021 after knocking out Michael Chandler - and later successfully defended the strap against Dustin Poirier. In 2022, however, he was stripped of the title after failing to make weight for his showdown with Justin Gaethje.

Despite winning the fight, Oliveira was unable to claim the title after missing weight. The 35-year-old eventually lost to Islam Makhachev for the vacant title. 'Do Bronx' has only lost once since the defeat to Makhachev and comes into the dust-up with Topuria off the back of a second win over Chandler.

Sensationally, despite his recent weight struggles, Oliveira used to compete in the featherweight division. However, towards the back end of his stint at 145lbs, he failed to make weight on several occasions - prompting the eventual return to lightweight in 2017. Ahead of his fight with Topuria, the Brazilian has left fans worried after footage emerged of the star fighter going through a brutal weight cut.

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Oliveira was surrounded by his team-mates and coaches as he hopes to successfully make the 155lb limit ahead of Friday's official weigh-ins. The footage has gone viral online - with many fans offering their verdict. "Crazy what they have to go through to put on a show for us," one fan wrote.

A second posted: "Looks like he’s dying," while a third commented: "Looks brutal." A fourth wrote: "Way too early to be cutting all that weight. Cant rehydrate for 24 hrs. That's not good. Not sure why he is doing this so early as opposed to tonight." Another replied: "Bro is going through it." Another user commented: "Weight cut? Would rather say near death experience."

There were some fans who called for fighters to compete at their natural weight. "So it's ridiculous to me that fighters have to lose weight to fight in a weight class that they shouldn't be fighting in to begin with. Why don't you just buy it at their weight?" One fan wrote.

Another commented: "Dumbest part about MMA, just fight ur everyday walking around weight. Ur a pro athlete so ur in shape all the time. If u weigh say 180, than u can fight from 170-190 its so simple but being 180 everyday to fight at 150 but be 180 at fight time is a waste and bad for the sport." Another fan replied: "Will never understand weight cuts... everyone should fight at their natural weight, it's a lot safer for everyone," while another posted: "The fact that fighters have to put their body’s in This much danger to have grown men praying over them as they cut weight, is exactly why weight cutting should not be a thing in MMA."

In the build up to their clash, Topuria and Oliveira have crossed paths multiple times. Although 'El Matador' has vowed to knock the Brazilian out in the first round, that did not stop him from paying his respect when the pair met at the sauna during their weight cut. Topuria shared that moment as well as another run-in. "That’s how our sport is. It's never personal, everyone's just fighting for their dreams," he said.