New Zealand’s Tau (11-1) had fallen to Elijah Smith on the Contender Series in 2024, but worked his way back to a UFC opportunity by winning his first two fights in the Road to UFC 4 flyweight tournament.

Scheduled to fight in the final against Namsrai Batbayar, Tau was last to hit the scales at weigh-ins, and did so behind the privacy barrier. In a confusing moment, UFC play-by-play announcer Jon Anik read Tau’s weight as 122.5lbs — well under the flyweight limit. The head scratching scene had some questioning why Tau had weighed in so late. But a second trip to the scale saw his weight balloon up to 129lbs, three pounds over the divisional limit.

Tau has since been accused of resting his elbows on the privacy curtain, a take on the old “DC towel trick” that Daniel Cormier once infamously used to make weight.

Tau’s Road to UFC 4 showdown with Batbayar was subsequently announced as cancelled. “The Road to UFC flyweight final between Aaron Tau and Namsrai Batbayar has been canceled from UFC 325 due to weight miss,” promotion officials wrote on social media.

It remains to be seen if the bout will be rebooked, given it was a tournament final. The remaining three Road to UFC 4 finals remain part of Saturday’s UFC 325 preliminary card.

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Episode five was set to feature both flyweight semifinal fights, including an appearance by New Zealand’s Aaron Tau, an XFC veteran. He was paired up with China’s “Black Panther” Shaui Yin. Both men had finished their quarterfinal bouts.

In a non-tournament welterweight bout, Kitt Campbell was set to face off against South Korea’s Jang Yun-seong to kick off the card.

Where to Watch Road to UFC 4

The Road to UFC 4 tournament is set to continue on Friday, August 22, 2025 at the Shanghai Indoor Stadium in Shanghai, China. The action streams live on UFC Fight Pass. The action gets underway at 6AM ET, 3AM PT. Full results from the event can be found below. The card will be immediately followed by Episode 6, headlined by Bruna Brasil versus Shi Ming.

Road to UFC 4 Episode 5 Results

Flyweight: Namsrai Batbayar def. Agulali by submission (rear-naked choke), Round 1, 4:45  – Flyweight Tournament Semifinal
Featherweight: Sebastian Szalay def. Yoon Chang-min by TKO, Round 1, 0:47 – Featherweight Tournament Semifinal
Bantamweight: Lawrence Lui def. Nghiêm Văn Ý by TKO, Round 2, 1:48 – Bantamweight Tournament Semifinal
Flyweight: Aaron Tau def. Yin Shuai by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28) – Flyweight Tournament Semifinal
Welterweight: Kitt Campbell def. Jang Yun-seong by split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)

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The first four episodes are live this week; here’s a look at how episode two breaks down!

Featherweight, Li Kaiwen (14-6) Vs. Seo Dong Hyun (7-2-1)

Li Kaiwen

Kaiwen is getting a second chance on Road to UFC after falling short in the Season 2 finale against Yizha. Since that loss, he’s bounced back with two straight wins, earning his way back into the mix. It’s easy to see why he’s getting another shot: Kaiwen is always hunting for the finish and brings relentless pressure.

While his aggressive style makes him an exciting watch, it also exposes a lot of flaws in his game. He’s an in-your-face action fighter with minimal defense and questionable fight IQ. At times, it feels like he’s fighting for the sake of violence rather than aiming for a strategic win. Still, that chaos can be effective. His sheer offensive output makes him a dangerous threat to anyone standing across from him.

Seo Dong Hyun

It’s hard to understand the logic behind giving a Road to UFC slot to a 34-year-old. If the UFC is that interested in him, why not just sign him outright? Hyun is unbeaten in his last six, with a draw in the mix, and has clearly developed as a fighter over the years.

Early in his career, he was wild and unfocused, more chaos than structure. These days, he’s much more composed, picking his shots with patience and purpose. At his pace, Hyun is a quality operator: technical on the outside with sneaky power that can show up at any moment.

However, he becomes vulnerable under pressure. His defense isn’t equipped to handle sustained offense, and while he’s a decent counter striker, he struggles against volume and extended combinations. His chin also tends to float high, which raises concerns about his durability despite a solid overall skillset.

Prediction: This is solid matchmaking. Kaiwen’s getting a willing dance partner in Hyun. While Hyun could look to wrestle, I don’t think his ground game is strong enough to be a real factor. On the feet, both guys are dangerous but defensively flawed, which sets the stage for a chaotic striking battle.

Offensively, Kaiwen has the edge. He brings more volume, aggression, and a willingness to close distance and engage. Normally, I’d be concerned about him recklessly forcing the action, but in this matchup, that pressure could work in his favor.

I lean toward Kaiwen here, but it’s tough to be overly confident. Hyun carries real power and only needs one clean shot to change the fight.

The post Road to UFC Season 4: Episode 2 Breakdown and Predictions appeared first on Cageside Press.

While the card doubled as UFC 306, it was designed to celebrate Mexican heritage and the country’s fighting spirit, and did just that. Unfortunately for Team Mexico, however, it was a rough night at the office, with Alexa Grasso losing her flyweight title to rival Valentina Shevchenko, while other Mexican fighters also struggled.

That was the past, a whole three days ago. The fight world moves at a breakneck pace, and now it’s on to Dana White’s Contender Series Season 8 Week 6, where the future of the sport will be knocking at the door of the UFC. This week, lightweights Dylan Mantello and Ahmad Hassanzada get second chances at breaking into the UFC, paired up with each other. Heavyweight Arthur Lopes, meanwhile, competes for just the second time in six years.

Where to Watch DWCS Season 8, Week 6

As always, this week’s Contender Series installment takes place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, NV and streams on ESPN+ in the U.S., and SportsNet/UFC Fight Pass in Canada. The action gets underway at 8PM ET, 5PM PT. Full results can be found below.

Dana White’s Contender Series Season 8, Week 6 Results

Lightweight: Ahmad Hassanzada def. Dylan Mantello via R3 SUB (RNC), 2:41
Bantamweight: Elijah Smith def. Aaron Tau via Unanimous Decision (29-28×3)
Welterweight: Benjamin Bennett def. Joey Hart via Split-Decision (29-28×2, 28-29)
Heavyweight: Talisson Teixeira def. Arthur Lopes via R1 KO, 1:57
Middleweight: Ateba Gautier def. Yura Naito via R2 TKO, 4:00

Contract Winners:

• Ahmad Hassanzada
• Ateba Gautier
• Talisson Teixeira
• Elijah Smith

The post Dana White’s Contender Series Season 8, Week 6 Results appeared first on Cageside Press.

Lightweight, Dylan Mantello (8-3) vs. Ahmad Suhail Hassanzada (11-3)

Notable Notes

• Mantello lost last season on the CS losing to Kaynan Kruschewsky.
• Hassanzada lost on the CS in 2022 getting knocked out by Nazim Sadykhov.
• Mantello is a former Ring of Combat lightweight champion.
• Both have only gone to the scorecards a combined five times.
• Both train at predominant gyms. Mantello at Longo and Weidman MMA and Hassanzada at Team Alpha Male.

Prediction: Both these guys were on the Contender Series before and both were put away. Neither have done anything since to be given another chance but here we are. Neither guy is near UFC level. This is a fight you see in LFA. The only good thing is that this could turn out to be a slobber knocker.

Mantello takes a ton of damage in his fights and Hassanzada gets dropped every fight or just about. Between the two it’s basically a matter of whose chin holds up. I like the striking of Mantello more. Although his hand speed is slow he does have good technique and power.

Where Hassanzada could take advantage would be on the mat. Also, as long as the fight goes I value the cardio of Hassanzada more. I don’t see it lasting too long though. I see both trading in the pocket and Mantello landing the kill shot. Hassanzada is just too chiny and too willing to trade in the pocket. I trust the chin of Mantello more. I’ve got Mantello by knockout in round one and I’m 25% confident.

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