UFC 274: Charles Oliveira submits Justin Gaethje in first round to take first step back to lightweight title

Charles Oliveira submitted Justin Gaethje in the first round of the UFC 274 main event on Saturday, as the Brazilian took the first step on what he hopes will be his road back to the lightweight title.

Oliveira missed weight by half-a-pound on Friday, and as a result he was stripped of the lightweight belt that he had won last year. The 32-year-old was also ineligible to win back the gold in his clash with Gaethje, who would have become the new champion if he had beaten Oliveira.

The American came close at the Footprint Center in Phoenix, knocking down Oliveira twice in a chaotic first round but refusing to follow the jiu-jitsu black belt to the mat. On both occasions, Oliveira was able to stand and recover, before securing his own knockdown of Gaethje with a perfect straight right punch later in the round.

Oliveira, who holds the records for most finishes and most submission wins in UFC history, pounced at once. The Brazilian took Gaethje’s back and considered his submission options, before locking in a rear naked choke and forcing the former interim champion to tap out in his home state of Arizona.

It marked an 11th straight win for Oliveira, who also survived a knockdown against Michael Chandler to claim the vacant lightweight title last May and fought back from multiple knockdowns from Dustin Poirier to retain the gold in December.

Upon making the decision to strip the title from Oliveira on Friday, the UFC said in a statement that “Do Bronx” would become No 1 contender at lightweight if he were to beat Gaethje.

It is as yet unclear whom Oliveira will face for the again-vacant belt, though Islam Makhachev is a potential opponent for the Brazilian.

The Dagestani is a close friend of Khabib Nurmagomedov, who corners