UFC 325 fight cancelled after bizarre weigh-in
A flyweight bout at UFC 325 in Sydney was pulled from the card after a bizarre weigh-in involving New Zealand fighter Aaron Tau, leaving fans, commentators and officials shaking their heads.
Tau was scheduled to face Mongolia’s Namsrai Batbayar, but trouble started when he stepped onto the scales behind the privacy curtain that allows fighters to weigh in without clothes. The number that flashed up — 122.25lb — immediately raised eyebrows, as it put him nearly four pounds under the flyweight limit.
Commentators Chris Weidman and RJ Clifford questioned how such a low weight was possible using the curtain, which is usually used by fighters who are struggling to hit the weight limit. Officials quickly intervened and ordered Tau to weigh in again, this time without the curtain.
The second attempt told a very different story. On the second attempt, Tau weighed 129lb, placing him three pounds over the limit and almost seven pounds heavier than his first reading. Shortly after, the UFC confirmed the fight had been cancelled.
Reviewing the footage, fans and pundits noted that Tau appeared to rest his elbows on the top of the curtain during the first weigh-in, taking pressure off the scale. However, the move backfired badly, turning what looked like a comfortable make into a clear miss.
The incident drew immediate comparisons to former UFC champion Daniel Cormier’s infamous 2017 weigh-in, when he narrowly made the light-heavyweight limit after initially missing weight. Cormier later admitted he “may have grabbed the towel” to help himself hit 205lb, though no sanctions followed and he went on to win his fight.
Tau’s attempt to copy that trick ended very differently. His Road to UFC final against Batbayar was scrapped entirely, overshadowing what was meant to be a breakthrough moment in his career.
The 32-year-old had attracted attention in the build-up to the event, both for his fighting record and his striking face tattoo. Speaking previously about representing his culture on the sport’s biggest stage, Tau said: "They think that they’re welcoming me into the UFC. I’m there to welcome them back to the realm of Tumatauenga (god of war in Maori mythology)."
He has also said: “We’ve just got to be Maori, and by doing that, we will keep our culture. It’s a privilege to be able to carry this onto the world stage and have the opportunity to share this part of myself and this part of our culture and our way with the world — it's cool."
Despite the controversy, the rest of the UFC 325 weigh-ins passed without issue. In the main event, Alexander Volkanovski and Diego Lopes both made weight comfortably ahead of their featherweight title fight.
