The week leading up to the UFC 325 event this Saturday saw drama unfold as a shocking scandal during the morning weigh-ins stole the spotlight and led to a fight cancellation.
The controversy centers on flyweight fighter Aaron Tau, who was scheduled to compete in the finals of the “Road to UFC” tournament for a contract with the UFC. In a desperate attempt to make weight, Tau tried to cheat the scale, a questionable move that backfired spectacularly and ended his tournament run before the finals even began.
Advertisement
Aaron TauChris Unger/Zuffa LLC-GettyImages
(Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC-GettyImages)
Suspicious First Weigh-In
Tau, from New Zealand, was scheduled to face Mongolian fighter Namsrai Batbayar in a flyweight matchup on the prelims card. He was the final athlete to step on the scale, often an indicator that a fighter has struggled to cut weight.
In a video of his initial weigh-in attempt, Tau could be seen subtly resting his elbows on the black fabric of a privacy curtain, which is a standard item for fighters who need to disrobe.
Watch the video of his weigh-ins here (via Bleacher Report):
Advertisement
Surprisingly, the scale registered him at 122.25 pounds, well below the 126-pound non-title flyweight limit. This low weight immediately raised suspicions among officials and commentators watching the process.
Chris Weidman, a former UFC champion providing commentary for the weigh-in show, openly questioned if Tau was manipulating the towel, a technique infamously used by Daniel Cormier at UFC 210.
Advertisement
Since his retirement, Cormier has even admitted that he purposely tried to cheat the scale (via ESPN MMA):
Commission officials asked Tau to weigh in again without the curtain. When he stepped back onto the scale, he registered a weight of 129 pounds, far over the 126-pound limit.
Immediate Fallout
The nearly seven-pound discrepancy between attempts confirmed the cheating attempt. As a result, his Road to UFC tournament final bout against Namsrai Batbayar was officially cancelled.
Advertisement
Unlike fighters who simply miss weight and are fined, Tau was removed from the card entirely for his actions. His opponent, Batbayar, successfully made the 126-pound limit but lost his chance to compete for a UFC contract.
Since this incident passed, there is now some doubt about Tau’s future with the UFC. The 32-year-old, who sports an 11-1 professional record, previously lost a closely-contested decision on Dana White’s Contender Series in 2024 to Elijah Smith.
Here is a clip of his back-and-forth war with Smith (via UFC_Asia on X):
Advertisement
The fight cancellation also overshadowed the otherwise successful weigh-ins for the rest of the UFC 325 card. According to the weigh-in results from the official UFC website, Alexander Volkanovski made weight at 144.5 pounds for his main event title defense against Diego Lopes, who hit the exact 145-pound limit.
The incident also follows another troubling weigh-in scene from the previous week at UFC 324, where fighter Cameron Smotherman collapsed after making weight. Tau’s actions, however, were a different kind of breach of protocol, one of deliberate deception rather than physical duress.
Advertisement
The UFC has not announced any further disciplinary action or whether Tau will be given another opportunity. They also have not announced whether the flyweight finals of the Road to UFC Season 4 will proceed on another card or be scrapped entirely.
This story was originally published by Athlon Sports on Jan 30, 2026, where it first appeared in the MMA section. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
