UFC 325 Drama: Weigh-In Chaos and VolkanovskiS Sydney Showdown
UFC 325 is set to deliver a blockbuster event in Sydney this Sunday, but the build-up was marred by important drama at Friday’s weigh-ins, headlined by the cancellation of a crucial flyweight bout and escalating tensions between several fighters.
The Road to UFC flyweight final, scheduled to pit aaron tau against Namsrai Batbayar for a coveted UFC contract, was abruptly scrapped after Tau missed weight by 1.3 kilograms. Initial confusion surrounded the situation, as Tau initially weighed in behind the curtain – a common practice for fighters struggling to meet the division limit – registering at 55.5 kilograms. However, this was still significantly below the 57.1 kilogram flyweight limit.
“that’s really unfortunate as he had two great showings… and he made weight in a relatively close span of time, so I’m really curious as to why he didn’t make weight for this fight,” remarked a UFC analyst during the UFC Morning Weigh-in show. The incident sparked speculation of potential gamesmanship, with comparisons drawn to a past incident involving Daniel Cormier. One commentator noted, “DC ruined it for every fighter who wants to do that now.”
The tension didn’t end there. A heated exchange between undercard fighters Oban Elliott and Jono Micallef required intervention from matchmaker Mick Maynard, filling in for the absent Dana White. Reports indicate a prior confrontation at the UFC fighter hotel fueled the animosity. Elliott escalated the tension during the staredown, shouting a threat and making a throat-slitting gesture.
Further adding to the charged atmosphere, New Zealand’s Dan Hooker brought his daughter on stage during the ceremonials, while Mauricio Ruffy engaged in a prolonged staredown with Rafael Fiziev, culminating in a provocative gesture mimicking shaking hands. Heavyweight Tai Tuivasa also received a significant ovation from the Sydney crowd, hinting at a potentially explosive performance on Sunday.
Adding expert analysis, Robert Whittaker weighed in on volkanovski’s potential path to victory, disagreeing with former middleweight champion Chris Weidman. Whittaker believes Volkanovski’s previous blueprint for success against lopes remains effective. “I don’t see what Lopes can do differently to beat Alex,” Whittaker explained. “Alex wrote the blueprint on how to beat [Lopes] in that first fight, and I didn’t see enough changes in his last fight.” He suggested Lopes’ best chance lies in a more aggressive, chaotic approach. “Lopes needs to make it ugly. He needs to make a dogfight to make alex uncomfortable.”
Another analyst highlighted Lopes’ potential improvements, particularly in wrestling. “This guy has been at Oklahoma State, one of the best college wrestling programs in the nation, and that is a great way to blend your jiujitsu and your boxing together, use the wrestling,” they noted.”So we’ll see if the improvements have been made in that department. See if it pays dividends in this fight.”
Fans can order UFC 325 on Main event via Kayo Sports to witness the culmination of this dramatic fight week.
Check out the weigh in’s for UFC 325!
Volk looking for “calculated bombs”
Volk: “I cannot wait to put on a show!”
tuivasa eyes a hot new winning streak
Fighters square up at the weigh in!
Volk all class after Lopes staredown
