Aaron Tau’s UFC dream didn’t end in the octagon this week, but on the scales, where a blatant attempt to cheat cost him his contract. The New Zealander’s flyweight had a contract opportunity at the Road to UFC Season 4 finales last week. However, Tau, who trains with Israel Adesanya’s team, sabotaged his own chance during a controversial weigh-in when he tried to cheat. Officials caught him five pounds over the limit and cut him from the promotion. But after sabotaging his own UFC dream, Tau’s response wasn’t one of remorse, but of pure defiance.

Rumors initially suggested that the UFC might give him another chance. Yet, the promotion refused to follow through and ended Tau’s UFC dream abruptly. This marked his second attempt to join the world’s premier mixed martial arts organization. During the weigh-in incident, Tau tried Daniel Cormier’s trick, resting his elbow on the black privacy curtain to manipulate the scale. Officials gave him a second chance, but he still weighed in three pounds over the official flyweight limit. Now, Aaron Tau has responded to Dana White & Co. with a carefree six-word message.

Rules prove too strict for Aaron Tau

Aaron Tau recently posted a photo on his Instagram story, wearing a hat and sunglasses while enjoying the Australian summer. He captioned it, “Made for war, not for rules,” making his feelings clear.

This carefree statement followed his apology to his team, coaches, and opponent Namshrai Batbayar, simply saying, “Sorry.” However, the promotion did not accept his apology.

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While fighters sometimes miss weight, the consequences rarely lead to a release. In Tau’s case, his attempted trick caused a major issue at UFC 325, the promotion’s first event of the year in Australia, headlined by Volkanovski vs. Lopes 2.

UFC commentator John Gooden initially confirmed during the broadcast that officials would give Tau another chance to fix his mistake in the fight with Namshrai Batbayar. Nevertheless, it did not work out. Coming from the New Zealand circuit and training with legends like Israel Adesanya, Tau could not recover from the blunder.

Now, at 32, Aaron Tau faces shrinking chances of returning to the UFC. He first tried to enter the promotion through the Contender Series in 2024 but lost his opportunity after a crushing defeat. Then, last summer, he earned another chance through the Road to UFC Series with a series of wins.

While Tau’s case was unique due to the ‘cheating attempt,’ missed weights are a recurring issue for the promotion, as was evident at the recent UFC Vegas 113 event.

UFC Vegas 113 kicks off with several weight misses

The UFC’s handling of weigh-in misses often appears inconsistent. At UFC Vegas 113, both Gianni Vázquez, who was the last-minute replacement for Said Nurmagomedov, and Muin Gafurov missed weight significantly but were only fined 25% of their purse, allowing their bouts to proceed. This stands in stark contrast to Tau’s situation.

Similarly, in the women’s flyweight division, both Eduarda Moura and Wang Cong missed weight by 1.5 pounds each. Despite these setbacks, officials allowed all fights to proceed. But their fines were waived.

As weight-cutting issues continue to disrupt UFC events, even when the fights are allowed to proceed. But still, onequestion stands out. Did Aaron Tau receive a harsher penalty than others? And do you think he deserved a second chance like the rest? Share your thoughts below.