Aaron Tau apologizes after weight cut debacle, fight cancellation.
Aaron Tau has issued a public statement after a dramatic turn of events at the UFC 325 weigh-ins that saw his scheduled fight cancelled amid a controversial weight-cutting incident.
The flyweight bout, which was set to be the Road to UFC Season 4 finals against Namsrai Batbayar, was removed from the card after Tau failed to make weight under highly unusual circumstances.
Tau, a 32-year-old fighter from New Zealand representing the City Kickboxing team, was attempting to step into the spotlight in front of the Sydney crowd at Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney, Australia on January 31, 2026, when the incident occurred.
According to official weigh-in, Tau’s first attempt at the scale registered 122.5 pounds — well under the 126-pound flyweight limit — but the reading raised immediate suspicion among officials. That was because he had weighed in behind a privacy box, a setup meant to help fighters make weight while modestly stripped. Officials then asked Tau to step on the scale again without the privacy box, and this time he registered 129 pounds which was three pounds over the allowable limit. The large difference between the two readings sparked controversy, with observers suggesting Tau may have distanced himself from the scale incorrectly during his first weigh-in.
Due to missing weight, Tau’s flyweight title shot and tournament final bout against Batbayar was immediately cancelled, leaving his opponent without a fight and removing one of the early prelims from the UFC 325 event. Following the cancellation, Tau posted a statement on Instagram, expressing regret and apologizing to his opponent, the UFC, his team, and fans. In his message, he acknowledged that making weight is part of a fighter’s job, and that he failed in that duty.
Tau had earned his spot in the Road to UFC Season 4 flyweight final by winning his earlier fights in the tournament. Before that, he appeared on Dana White’s Contender Series in 2024, where he lost a close unanimous decision to Elijah Smith and missed out on a UFC contract at the time.
With an 11-1 career record, Tau was positioned for what could have been a defining fight in his professional journey. Instead, the weight-cut issues and bout cancellation have offered a stark reminder of how critical weight management is in mixed martial arts.
As for what comes next, the UFC has not yet announced any additional sanctions or whether Tau will receive another opportunity in the organisation. For now, the incident stands as one of the most talked-about moments from the UFC 325 weigh-in proceedings, overshadowing what was otherwise a clean weight session for the rest of the card.
