Dana White has an explanation for why Farid Basharat is no longer a UFC fighter. He just won’t say what it is.
Speaking to reporters after Saturday’s UFC Edmonton card, the UFC CEO was asked about the undefeated bantamweight hitting free agency. He suggested the decision had little to do with what Basharat did in the cage. White described the situation as unusual (“this is the first time this has happened,” he said) and laid out the usual suspects when a contract expires without a new one: “either guys aren’t good to deal with and the matchmakers don’t want to deal with them, which could be turning down fights or whatever the reasoning is.”
Then came the line that’s already making the rounds. “If you’re 16-0, with seven wins in the UFC and don’t get re-signed, there’s definitely a reason,” White said.
View post on X
He didn’t expand on it, and nobody in the room pushed him to. That’s how a promotion boss gets to drop an insinuation about a fighter’s professionalism and walk off the dais without a single specific attached.
How we got here
MMA Fighting reported earlier this week that Basharat had become a free agent after finishing out his UFC deal. The news landed hard because unbeaten fighters with seven promotional wins don’t usually get waved goodbye. The working theory online was style. Basharat won plenty in the UFC but finished an opponent just once inside the Octagon, and decision-heavy résumés have a way of making matchmakers grumpy.
Basharat got ahead of the story with his own statement before White ever spoke. “My departure clearly has nothing to do with my fighting capabilities,” he wrote. “Unfortunately the organization just isn’t what it used to be. They’re heading in a different direction from what we all grew up loving.”
So both sides agree it wasn’t about his fighting. They just point fingers in opposite directions.
The Basharat name is also gone from the roster entirely now. His brother, who went 4-2 with one no contest in the UFC, parted ways with the promotion earlier this year after beating Gianni Vazquez.
The Mokaev precedent
We’ve seen White do this before. In 2024 the UFC let undefeated flyweight Muhammad Mokaev walk after a flat win over top contender Manel Kape at UFC 304, a fight preceded by several run-ins between the two. Asked about it afterward, White said, “There was so much bad shit that happened behind the scenes.” Again, no details followed.
Basharat is now free to sign anywhere. No reports have tied him to another promotion yet.
Quick take
White calling this the first time it’s happened is a strange claim when Mokaev’s exit in 2024 followed the exact same script: unbeaten record, contract up, vague hint about off-camera problems. If the reason is turned-down fights, say which fights. If it’s one finish in seven, own that. A 16-0 bantamweight deserves better than a shrug and a wink at a post-fight presser, and whichever promotion signs him next is getting a guy who has never lost.
