Top-ranked UFC Bantamweight contender Farid Basharat has been released from the UFC roster after fighting out his UFC contract.
That’s according to a report from MMA Fighting, who reports the “Ferocious” Afghan fighter has been handed his walking papers less than a year after his brother was also unceremoniously released with a positive record. In fact, Farid Basharat was the more accomplished of the two. Per the Meta Rankings, Basharat held the No. 9 position at 135 pounds. Additionally, he was undefeated at 17-0, including seven victories inside the Octagon.
Among the scalps collected were established talents like Chris Gutierrez, Jean Matsumoto, and Taylor Lapilus.
Basharat’s release comes immediately after the conclusion of the fall season of Contender Series. Clearly, the UFC is embracing an “out with the old, in with the new” mentality … except Basharat is only 29 years old! He’s clearly a talented young fighter, but the promotion is uninterested in seeing how he develops from this point forward.
The great knock against Basharat is that just one of his promotional victories came via stoppage. Despite the lack of finishes, I would not declare Basharat a boring or uninteresting fighter. He’s known for his high work rate and smooth transitions between striking and wrestling, which has made for several back-and-forth battles filled with continuous and technical action. Regardless, the UFC cannot claim to be home of all the best fighters if they’re willfully cutting athletes who — by their own system! — are among the ten best in the world for the weight class.