Aaron Tau issues statement after weight cut debacle, fight cancellation

The biggest battle any fighter has is between themself and the scale, and Aaron Tau lost.

This Saturday, Tau was supposed to face Namsrai Batbayar in the Road to UFC Season 4 flyweight tournament finals; however, at Friday’s weigh-ins, Tau failed to make the 126-pound limit after seemingly trying to game the system.

Tau was the last fighter to step on the scale, and for his first attempt, Tau opted to use the privacy box, coming in at 122.5 pounds — well under the limit — after appearing to use his arms on the box to offset some of the weight. The commission took several minutes to register Tau’s weight, but given the suspicious circumstances, they had Tau weigh in again, without the screen, where he came in at 129 pounds.

The bout was quickly cancelled, and on Friday evening, Tau released a statement apologizing for missing weight on his Instagram.

“I need to apologize to my opponent, the UFC, my team, and my fans. Though I pushed to the end, I have one job, to make weight and fight. I didn’t do that. I’m sorry.”

A 32-year-old fighter based in New Zealand, Tau represents the famed City Kickboxing team. He competed on Contender Series in 2024, losing a unanimous decision to Elijah Smith and failing to get a contract. After another outing on the regional scene, Tau joined Road to UFC, where he scored two wins to put himself in the flyweight finals. His overall career record stands at 11-1.