Surging UFC bantamweight Vinicius Oliveira plans on moving up a weight class in the future, as he is tired of drastic weight cuts.
This weekend’s UFC Vegas 113 main event, live from the Meta APEX in Las Vegas, features a bantamweight clash between Oliveira and Mario Bautista.
On media day, Vinicius Oliveira admitted that he cuts nearly 50 pounds from the start of training camp, and these drastic weight cuts have prevented him from competing more often. He said:
“I weigh so much… I need to lose 23-24 kilos, so I cannot fight often.”
Vinicius Oliveira won’t move up before becoming the 135-pound UFC champ
Despite the massive weight cuts, Vinicius Oliveira has his crosshairs on the bantamweight championship, and once he achieves that goal, he plans to move up. He added:
“To be honest, I need to lose a lot of kilos. I used to do that, but it is tough for me. I don’t know how many times I’m going to stand in this division, so I’ve got a plan to get the belt faster, then move on. Move on from my division because I think it’s not healthy for the body to lose a lot of pounds.”
‘LokDog’ also revealed that he has made several changes to his diet, but cutting down to 135 pounds remains a hefty task.
“I usually lose from the beginning of my camp, 24, 23 kilos to fight, and that’s too much. I feel really tired, and I feel sick, but now I did some different things with my health and my food. I put out the sugar, so I think it’s making me better than the last time I cut weight, but the suffering is the same. [Thursday], I need to lose, like, six or seven kilos.”
Check out Vinicius Oliveira’s comments below (14:32):
The 30-year-old Brazilian knockout artist is undefeated in the UFC (4-0) and has wins over Kyler Phillips and Said Nurmagomedov, among others.
A victory this weekend against the No. 9-ranked Mario Bautista could earn him a top-five opponent next and move him closer to a championship opportunity.