UFC veteran has “high expectations” for his undefeated CKB teammate ahead of his Contender Series debut with Dana White

Undefeated CKB candidate Aaron Tau competes in the DWCS main event tonight

31-year-old New Zealander Aaron “Tauzemup” Tau headlines tonight’s episode of Dana White’s Contender Series against 6-1 American Elijah Smith.

While Smith is certainly no pushover in the Octagon, he will have a tough time at Apex facing the undefeated 8-0 bantamweight who has won seven of his eight fights by finish (five KOs and one submission).

With a spot on the UFC roster at stake, you might expect Tau's teammates to be a calm and reasonable voice. But the intimidating Kiwi comes from City Kickboxing, a team of champions, and that brings its own set of pressures.

UFC fighter Dan Hooker ‘expects’ Tau to join his roster ahead of his debut

When Aaron Tau makes his promotional debut on Dana White's Contender Series later tonight, he will do so with veteran UFC fighter Dan “The Hangman” Hooker by his side.

“He looks good, it’s nice to be back in the gym with Aaron and [we’re] “I’m just putting the finishing touches on training,” Hooker told ENGAGEIND earlier this week.

“He's obviously been working with all the other trainers during my training camp and getting my face back in shape, but now we're back… He's back in the gym in one piece, the finishing touches are being put on and he looks in great shape – he looks ready to go.”

But as he heads into his DWCS main event with an undefeated record and a legendary UFC fighter behind him, the young “Tauzemup” is already under enormous pressure – most of which comes from Hooker and the City Kickboxing team.

“Yeah, I think it's just expectations. I just have high expectations. [for him]. I know we've set the bar high. We don't just go into a fight and expect to win, we expect to walk out with a UFC contract – that's exactly what I expect. [on Tuesday].”

During a recent appearance on Sky Sport New Zealand, Hooker reiterated his view that the anticipation is increased tenfold when you're a CKB fighter, but he also noted that it will be interesting to see how Tau performs when there isn't a large crowd cheering him on.

“We have high expectations, that's part of leaving City Kickboxing. We have very high expectations; we expect two UFC contracts – not just wins, but for Dana White to hand them a contract.

“He's a fighter who gets really carried away by the crowd. Anyone who has ever seen him live knows that he takes the crowd to a whole new level. He gets so much energy from the crowd. But at Apex it's a different sphere because there are only 20 or 30 people, it's rather inconspicuous.”

Even if Tau can earn a UFC contract in impressive fashion over the course of the evening, Hooker will not know the true extent of his potential until his first big fight in front of a sold-out crowd.

“Many of the fighters in Dana White’s Contender Series, many come into the UFC, it’s not just about the ability – of course you need the ability to get there, but it’s more than that, it’s about who makes it among the [bright] Lights, who can do that in front of 20,000 people?”

Dana White's Contender Series 2024: Week 6 begins Tuesday, September 17 at 8:00 p.m. ET – Aaron Tau vs. Elijah Smith is scheduled as the main event of the evening.

Related topics