Undefeated Farid Basharat Provides Explanation for Shocking UFC Exit

Undefeated fighter Farid Basharat has shed some light on the UFC's reasoning behind not offering him a new contract.

Now a few months removed from his unanimous decision win over John Garza at UFC 329, news broke last week that unbeaten bantamweight Farid Basharat had been removed from the official UFC roster.

Basharat later confirmed the roster update via his Instagram, with the UFC apparently opting not to offer him a new contract even after the 29-year-old went a perfect 7-0 with the promotion.

Farid Basharat Provides Details on Stunning UFC Exit

News of Basharat’s UFC exit drew a variety of responses from the MMA community, with many fans criticizing the UFC for apparently prioritizing matchups that produce finishes over putting together fights showcasing the best talent available in the sport.

Speaking to UFC Hall of Famer Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson this week, Basharat detailed the UFC’s reasoning for not offering him a new contract following his latest win.

“I had seven fights in the UFC," Basharat began (h/t Red Corner MMA). "After my third one, I got a second contract. When I had my first fight in my new contract – so after my fourth fight, I think I beat [Chris] Gutierrez last year. They started saying like ‘Oh, we don’t like the way you fight’…This is the craziest part. I fought in February against a very, very tough guy, Jean Matsumoto. Young guy, Brazil’s biggest prospect, he was 17-1. I was 14-0. And the fight was a great fight, by their standards."

"Ferocious" Was Hoping for FOTN Bonus After UFC Win in February

A split decision over Matsumoto gave Basharat his sixth UFC win and brought his professional record to 15-0, but the 29-year-old realized his career with the promotion might be in jeopardy immediately following the conclusion of that event.

“I’m in the back, I’m thinking ‘All right, as long as their isn’t another fight that’s better than mine, I’m gonna get the [Fight of the Night bonus]. After the event, I call my manager and I’m like ‘Yo, did they like the fight?’… I hear back ‘Nah they didn’t like the fight, they thought it was boring.' And that fight, if you go and watch it, it was unanimously considered ‘Fight of the Night’. So after that fight, I realized the writing’s on the wall.”

Basharat was originally booked to meet Ethyn Ewing (who had beaten undefeated fighters in his two previous UFC outings) at UFC 329 before Ewing withdrew from the event, leaving “Ferocious” to take a unanimous decision over UFC newcomer Garza.

Javid Basharat Was Also Released This Year Following Strong UFC Run

After earning a UFC contract on Dana White’s Contender Series in 2022, Basharat defeated Da’Mon Blackshear in his promotional debut at UFC 285 before he secured his lone Octagon finish against Kleydson Rodrigues later that year.

Basharat’s older brother Javid also joined the UFC in 2021 off of DWCS, where he extended his undefeated record and 100% finishing rate with a third-round submission of the formerly-unbeaten Oron Kahlon.

The elder Basharat also competed in the UFC on seven occasions but failed to find any finishes while going 4-2 with one No Contest in the Octagon, and “The Snow Leopard” also exited the UFC earlier this year following a win over Gianni Vazquez.