On The Up: Aaron Tau, Lawrence Lui begin Road To UFC quest for contracts with promotion

Aaron Tau’s pathway has been realigned.

The promising mixed martial artist suffered the first setback of his professional career last year when he fell to a unanimous decision loss on Dana White’s Contender Series – where he was fighting for a contract in the UFC’s bantamweight (61.2kg) division.

Despite the loss, Tau had done enough to impress the promotion’s brass, and his coach Eugene Bareman said there could be an opportunity if he dropped down to flyweight (56.7kg).

Bantamweight was the lightest Tau had fought at in his career, but he was willing to do what he needed.

Now, after an impressive win in his flyweight debut, Tau is getting a second chance.

Tau and City Kickboxing (CKB) teammate Lawrence Lui will both be fighting for UFC contracts over the coming month in the promotion’s Road To UFC series at flyweight – a bracket-style tournament pitting the best prospects in the Asia-Pacific region against each other – at flyweight and bantamweight, respectively.

While some may call it a shot at redemption for Tau, he’s looking at it from a different direction.

“In Māori, you call it utu; the cost. The cost of me losing, to myself, to my family, to my coaches, to my supporters, to Aotearoa, is I have to do this tournament,” he told the Herald.

“I’m happy to pay that cost because I think this redirection was a part of the bigger picture and what was actually meant for me, and how I’m meant to proceed in this sport. I wouldn’t say it’s so much redemption, it’s just alignment.

“I was realigned with what actually is for me, and I think my direction of travel now is going to be a lot quicker because the flyweight roster is not as big as the bantamweight roster, so if I get a few good wins in a row, Uncle Dana [White] is going to be my best friend real quick.”

The tournament offers the athletes the potential for three bouts over a six-month period, the first of which takes place this week at the UFC Performance Institute in Shanghai, China.

Tau (9-1) will meet undefeated Indonesian prospect Rio Tirto (8-0); a bout that had some heat sprinkled over it after Tau caught Tirto and his team appearing to take video of the Kiwi during a training session.

For Lui, it’s an opportunity that he wasn’t initially certain would eventuate.

Former CKB fighter and now striking coach at the UFC PI in Shanghai Mark Timms suggested him for the tournament, and Lui was originally listed as the alternate.

“Euge [Bareman] and Brogan [Anderson] told me that there was a high chance that someone was going to pull out, and, three weeks later, someone did, and here I am,” he said.

Had it been an opportunity with less on the line, Lui said he might have approached it differently. But upon hearing he would be the alternate, he began training as if he had a fight.

Lui (5-1 and champion with local promotion Shuriken Fight Series) will meet experienced Chinese athlete Qinghe Zhang (16-7-1) in Shanghai and although he admits the opportunity came earlier than he might have anticipated, he was ready for it.

“I did think I would have a few more fights before [getting] here, but honestly, I will take this opportunity or any opportunity that comes my way and make the most out of it.

“Give me an inch, I’ll take a mile.”

Road To UFC quarter-finals

Aaron Tau v Rio Tirto (flyweight) – episode two, from 1am Friday

Lawrence Lui v Qinghe Zhang (bantamweight) – episode four, from 1am Saturday

All episodes are broadcast live on UFC Fight Pass, the promotion’s subscription platform, and ESPN.

Christopher Reive joined the Herald sports team in 2017, bringing the same versatility to his coverage as he does to his sports viewing habits.