Charles Oliveira Camp Dismisses Tony Ferguson’s Weight-Cut Concerns Ahead of UFC 256

Scheduled to face Brazilian Charles Oliveira in the co-main event of UFC 256, Tony Ferguson used his Instagram account to express concern regarding his opponent’s ability to make the lightweight limit.

“I am counting on the Brazilian [Charles Oliveira] and others to come In overweight like usual. So I’m calling it now,” Ferguson wrote. “Case law: Short notice fight, Charles Oliveira will not cut weight all week and show up 3-4 pounds overweight and use the excuse of a short-notice fight.”

“If he shows up that much overweight, we are not competing. So crew, make sure you visit the kid’s page and encourage him to make the weight if you want to see a fight.

Shortly thereafter, Sherdog.com contacted both Oliveira and his head coach, Diego Lima, to get a reaction to Ferguson’s statement. Both guaranteed that there will be no issues on the scales come Friday.

"I am really happy with that statement from Ferguson. It just shows how worried he is about Charles’ size,” said Lima, who did not travel with Oliveira from Sao Paulo to Las Vegas after testing positive for COVID-19. “It's important to note that Charles had problems at featherweight but he never missed weight at 155. On Wednesday morning he woke up weighing 162 pounds. We still have two days left to lose seven pounds.  

“Do Bronx” later confirmed his coach’s remarks.

"Tell Tony that I'll cover my [end of the bargain]. I had a great camp and I brought my nutritionist and physical trainer and they are doing a wonderful job,” Oliveira said. “Everything is going according to plan. I hope Tony does the same. When we wish bad to others, sometimes it returns to us.”