Set to make his return this weekend at UFC 317, Charles Oliveira’s current state of affairs in terms of his infamous weight cut to championship limit has drawn some concern from featherweight kingpin, Alexander Volkanovski.
Returning for the first time since the end of last year, Brazilian star, Oliveira will take main event status during International Fight Week against soon-to-be common-opposition, the unbeaten, Ilia Topuria.
And deep into preperations for his vacant lightweight title fight with the Spanish finisher, Oliveira was pictured alongside Topuria this evening cutting weight via sauna ahead of this weekend’s clash.
Appearing on stage tonight at a pre-fight press conference in Las Vegas, former champion and fan-favorite finisher, Oliveira looked extremely gaunt and drawn out during questioning from assembled media.
Previously missing weight just once during his second stint at lightweight, Oliveira was infamously stripped of his title as a result en route to a first round rear-naked choke win over Justin Gaethje.
However, this evening, Australian star, Volkanovski — who has done like Topuria and competed at lightweight for gold before, has voiced his concern for Oliveira.
Questioning how the Sao Paulo star has already been focused to shift weight via sauna work, Volkanovski has claimed by now, Oliveira should already be rehydrating — not continuing to shed weight.
Alexander Volkanovski questions Charles Oliveira’s weight cut pre-UFC 317
You shouldn’t be doing that [this early]… If he’s (Charles Oliveira) cutting weight now and then he has to do a press conference later tonight… I mean, that’s a long time to be sort of dehydrated,” Alexander Volkanovski told Ariel Helwani for Uncrowned this evening. “You should be rehydrating.”
Seeing his power translate massively since his return to lightweight back in 2017, to boot, Oliveira himself has warned the incoming Topuria that despite his own monstrous power, he has never been hit as hard by someone like himself.
“If he thinks he has firepower, he hasn’t seen mine. If he thinks he has jiu-jitsu, he hasn’t seen mine,” Charles Oliveira told assembled media this week. “Let me tell you something: it’s going to happen. I’m going to become champion again.”
