The UFC 325 weigh-ins delivered a mix of smooth sailing and unexpected drama as fighters stepped on the scales to make their bouts official. While the championship main event and most of the card proceeded without incident, a bizarre situation involving flyweight prospect Aaron Tau overshadowed the proceedings and resulted in the cancellation of his highly anticipated Road to UFC tournament final.
In the spotlight of the main event, featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski and challenger Diego Lopes both successfully hit their required marks, ensuring their title rematch would proceed as planned. Volkanovski, a two-time champion looking to solidify his legacy, registered at 144.5 pounds—well under the 145-pound championship limit. Lopes, seeking redemption after coming up short in their first encounter, weighed in at exactly 145 pounds, making the championship clash official.
Their first meeting at UFC 314 in April saw Volkanovski capture the vacant featherweight throne via unanimous decision, beginning his second reign atop the division. Lopes immediately returned to action in September, delivering a spectacular knockout victory over Jean Silva that kept his name firmly in the championship conversation and earned him this coveted rematch. For Volkanovski, Saturday's bout represents his first appearance since that initial showdown with Lopes, as the champion has been sidelined awaiting his next challenge.
The co-main event also proceeded smoothly as lightweight contenders Dan Hooker and Benoit Saint Denis both made weight for their pivotal 155-pound showdown. Both fighters took advantage of the one-pound allowance for non-title bouts, each tipping the scales at 155.75 pounds. Their matchup promises to have significant implications in the crowded lightweight division, with both athletes looking to climb closer to title contention.
Throughout the weigh-in session, 27 of the 28 scheduled fighters successfully made weight, demonstrating professional preparation and discipline. However, the final fighter to step on the scales would create a controversy that dominated post-weigh-in discussions.
Aaron Tau, competing in the Road to UFC flyweight tournament final against Namsrai Batbayar, delivered one of the most unusual weigh-in performances in recent memory. As the last competitor to arrive—approximately 90 minutes into the official weigh-in window—Tau's attempt to make the 126-pound non-title flyweight limit took a strange turn.
Initially, Tau stripped down and weighed in while concealed behind a privacy box, a common practice for fighters seeking modesty during the process. However, the commission officials appeared to struggle with the measurement, taking several minutes to register an official number. When they finally announced the result, shock rippled through the room: Tau had weighed in at 122.5 pounds—an astonishing 3.5 pounds under the limit.
This immediately raised red flags, as coming in significantly underweight can be just as problematic as missing weight, suggesting potential health concerns or miscalculations. Suspicious of the reading, officials requested that Tau weigh in again, this time without the privacy box after he had dressed.
The second attempt yielded a dramatically different result: 129 pounds—three pounds over the flyweight limit. Somehow, between the two measurements, Tau's weight had seemingly increased by 6.5 pounds, an impossible physiological feat in such a short timeframe.
The discrepancy was immediately apparent and concerning. How could a fighter go from well underweight to significantly overweight within minutes? The situation prompted intense speculation about what might have caused such an erroneous initial reading.
During the UFC's official morning weigh-in show, analysts Chris Weidman and RJ Clifford proposed a theory: they questioned whether Tau, who was seen flexing while behind the box during his first attempt, might have been inadvertently touching the sides of the curtain with his elbows. This contact could potentially have provided additional support, reducing the measured weight on the scale and creating a false reading.
Video footage of the incident quickly circulated on social media, with fans and pundits alike scrutinizing Tau's positioning behind the box. While some dismissed the elbow theory as unlikely, others pointed to the commission's prolonged difficulty in obtaining a reading as evidence that something was amiss during the initial attempt.
Regardless of the cause, the outcome was clear and decisive. Shortly after the second weigh-in, UFC officials announced that Tau's Road to UFC flyweight tournament final against Batbayar had been cancelled. The bout, which was set to serve as the culmination of the prestigious developmental tournament, would not take place as scheduled.
The cancellation represents a significant disappointment for both fighters. For Tau, it marks a missed opportunity to claim a UFC contract through the Road to UFC program and raises questions about his professionalism and preparation. For Batbayar, who successfully made weight at 126 pounds, it means a lost opportunity to compete and potentially earn his own UFC contract, despite fulfilling his obligations.
The Road to UFC tournament has become a crucial pipeline for emerging MMA talent, particularly in the Asian market, and the cancellation of one of its showcase finals is a notable setback for the promotion's developmental initiatives.
The full UFC 325 weigh-in results are as follows:
Main Card (Paramount+ at 9 p.m. ET)
- Alexander Volkanovski (144.5) vs. Diego Lopes (145) – Featherweight Championship
- Dan Hooker (155.75) vs. Benoit Saint Denis (155.75) – Lightweight
- Rafael Fiziev (155.5) vs. Mauricio Ruffy (155.25) – Lightweight
- Tai Tuivasa (265.5) vs. Tallison Teixeira (259) – Heavyweight
- Quillan Salkilld (155.5) vs. Jamie Mullarkey (155.5) – Lightweight
Preliminaries (Paramount+ at 7 p.m. ET)
- Junior Tafa (205.25) vs. Billy Elekana (204) – Light Heavyweight
- Cameron Rowston (184.5) vs. Cody Brundage (184.75) – Middleweight
- Jacob Malkoun (185.75) vs. Torrez Finney (185.75) – Middleweight
- Jonathan Micallef (170.5) vs. Oban Elliott (169.75) – Welterweight
Early Prelims (Paramount+ at 5 p.m. ET)
- Kaan Ofli (145.25) vs. Yizha (145.5) – Featherweight
- Sangwook Kim (155.75) vs. Dom Mar Fan (154.75) —Road to UFC Lightweight Final
- Keiichiro Nakamura (145.25) vs. Sebastian Szalay (145.75) —Road to UFC Featherweight Final
- Sulangrangbo (135.75) vs. Lawrence Lui (135.25) —Road to UFC Bantamweight Final
- Aaron Tau (129)* vs. Namsrai Batbayar (126) —Road to UFC Flyweight Final
*Tau missed weight; bout cancelled
As UFC 325 approaches, the focus will remain on the championship main event and the stacked undercard. However, the bizarre circumstances surrounding Aaron Tau's weigh-in failure will undoubtedly remain a topic of conversation, serving as a reminder of the strict protocols and high stakes involved in professional mixed martial arts competition.
The incident also highlights the importance of transparency and accuracy in the weigh-in process, potentially prompting the UFC and athletic commissions to review their procedures to prevent similar controversies in the future. For now, the show will go on with 13 bouts instead of 14, as the promotion and fighters alike turn their attention to fight night.