The lightweight and women’s strawweight titles are on the line when the Octagon returns to Phoenix on Saturday
• 2 min read
UFC is set for its latest PPV offering. This time, the Octagon has landed back in Phoenix, Arizona, for UFC 274 on Saturday night with a pair of title fights on the marquee along with some legendary veterans filling out the undercard. However, things changed drastically on Friday at the weigh-ins. Lightweight champion Charles Oliveira failed to make weight and was stripped of his title. Now, he’ll fight Justin Gaethje in the main event without the ability to win it back as a consequence. Gaethje, however, can still earn the crown if he is victorious.
Oliveira has turned around his career into arguably the greatest lightweight champion in UFC history. A win over Gaethje would mark the longest title reign in recent years for the division, surpassing Khabib Nurmagomedov who retired in 2020 after beating the same opponent in Gaethje. Oliveira has ripped of 10 straight wins to get to this points. Gaethje, meanwhile, bounced back from the loss to Nurmagomedov to earn a second shot at the title with a win over Michael Chandler.
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Meanwhile, women’s strawweight champion Rose Namajunas and Carla Esparza are set to meet in the co-main event to run back a fight dating back to 2014. Esparza earned the inaugural strawweight crown against Namajunas at The Ultimate Fighter season 20 finale. She then promptly lost to Joanna Jedrzejczyk and has been working her way back to the title level since. Namajunas, however, battled through the adversity to reach the summit when she topped Jedrzejczyk for the title in 2017.
CBS Sports will have you covered all week long with complete coverage of UFC 274 following all the latest breaking news and analysis around the event. Stay tuned to this page for everything you need to know from Phoenix, including the complete fight card with odds from Caesars Sportsbook below.
UFC 274 fight card, odds
- Charles Oliveira (c) -170 vs. Justin Gaethje +145, lightweight title
- Rose Namajunas -220 vs. Carla Esparza +180, women’s strawweight title
- Michael Chandler -380 vs. Tony Ferguson +300, lightweight
- Ovince Saint Preux -230 vs. Mauricio Rua +190, light heavyweight
- Donald Cerrone -175 vs. Joe Lauzon +150, lightweight
- Khaos Williams -120 vs. Randy Brown +100, welterweight
- Norma Dumont -220 vs. Macy Chiasson +180, women’s featherweight
- Blagoy Ivanov -155 vs. Marcos Rogerio De Lima +130, heavyweight
- Brandon Royval -260 vs. Matt Schnell +210, flyweight
- Francisco Trinaldo -120 vs. Danny Roberts +100, welterweight
- Tracy Cortez -150 vs. Melissa Gatto +125, women’s flyweight
- Kleidison Rodrigues -340 vs. CJ Vergara +270, flyweight
- Loopy Godinez -170 vs. Ariane Carnelossi +145, women’s strawweight
- Fernie Garcia -150 vs. Journey Newson +125, bantamweight
- Andre Fiahlo -420 vs. Cameron Vancamp +330, welterweight
UFC 274 info
- Date: May 7
- Location: Footprint Center — Phoenix, Arizona
- Start time: 10 p.m. ET (Main card)
- How to watch: ESPN+ PPV
UFC 274 countdown
- Staff predictions and expert picks for the main card
- Brookhouse: Three best bets to consider on fight night
- Mahjouri: Three undercard bouts to pay attention to
- Brookhouse: Three top storylines to follow in Phoenix
- Namajunas: Andrade slam KO actually fixed my neck
Who wins Oliveira vs. Gaethje? And what other picks do you need to see? Visit SportsLine now to get detailed top picks on UFC 274, all from the insider who’s up more than $10,000 on MMA picks the past two years, and find out.
