@JT_Lines on X
Flyweight fighter Aaron Tau was scheduled to make his UFC debut at UFC 325 in Sydney, Australia on Saturday against Namsrai Batbayar. Instead, Tau not only finds himself kicked off the card, but likely blew his chance of ever competing in MMA’s biggest promotion.
Tau, a New Zealand native and teammate of lightweight Dan Hooker, who is co-main eventing the card, showed up on Friday morning for weigh-ins the day before the event.
When he stepped on the scale, he asked for a towel to cover his private parts as he stripped down entirely in order to make the 125-pound weight limit (which actually includes a 1-pound allowance). This is not an uncommon occurrence during weigh-ins. But what is uncommon is that Tau then weighed in at 122.5 pounds, well below the weight limit.
Typically, if a fighter has to strip entirely for weigh-ins, they are just on the cusp of the weight they need to make. Tau easily came in under, so he was asked to step back onto the scale immediately.
When he weighed in again, this time without the towel, the scale read 129 pounds, well over the weight limit.
It’s pretty awesome how dancing makes robots less intimidating. Looking forward to seeing more nontrivial Machine Learning on these robots. Credit: Boston Dynamics. pic.twitter.com/wnB2i9qhdQ
— Reza Zadeh 🇺🇸 (@Reza_Zadeh) December 29, 2020
So not only did Tau miss weight by a significant margin, but he was also caught cheating by using the towel to support himself while on the scale, which accounted for a nearly 7-pound difference.
Rather than being given the opportunity to fight at a higher weight and give a percentage of his purse to Batbayar, which would normally occur when someone misses weight, Tau was kicked off the card entirely, and the fight was cancelled.
Aaron Tau Tried To Pull A Daniel Cormier At UFC 325
If this story sounds familiar, it’s because it’s not the first time a UFC fighter has used the towel to support themselves and make weight. It’s just the first time someone has been caught.
In 2017, at UFC 210, Daniel Cormier was scheduled to fight Anthony Johnson for the UFC light heavyweight championship. All title fights require fighters to make scratch weight, which meant Cormier had to come in at 205 pounds.
When he first stepped on the scale, it read 206.2. He then stepped back on behind a towel after removing his trunks and made the 205-pound limit.
Many who watched it occur saw Cormier lightly touch the towel to support himself. But the UFC either saw nothing or said nothing, and the fight went forward. Cormier went on to win the fight by submission in the second round and defend his title.
Several years later, he admitted to cheating during the weigh-in.
“So I look down, and the commissioner’s on the floor looking at the scale. There’s a second lady, and I look down — she’s right next to him, so I grab the towel and I’m like, ‘S—t, we’re home free,’” Cormier said of the incident. “[Marc] Ratner, I know I would never get you like that, but in New York, first time, you know what it is. It is what it is.”
Unfortunately for Tau, he didn’t get so lucky.