Farid Basharat is out of the UFC with a perfect record, and he isn’t pretending to be happy about the company he’s leaving behind.
“The organization isn’t what it used to be. They’re heading in a different direction from what we all grew up loving,” Basharat said, in comments MMA Junkie shared on X on Thursday. The outlet reported that Basharat confirmed the UFC isn’t bringing him back after he fought out his contract in July.
The news first broke a day earlier, when Guilherme Cruz of MMA Fighting reported that Basharat (16-0) had been removed from the UFC roster. MMA Fighting added that he wasn’t offered a new deal after his win over John Garza. LatestLY described the exit as a shock in its headline.
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On paper, it’s a strange release. Basharat is No. 8 in Knockout Daily’s bantamweight rankings and went 7-0 inside the Octagon after earning his contract on Dana White’s Contender Series Season 6 with a unanimous decision over Allan Begosso. His UFC run began with a decision over Da’Mon Blackshear at UFC 285 in March 2023, and from there he beat Kleydson Rodrigues (arm-triangle choke, Round 1), Taylor Lapilus, Victor Hugo, Chris Gutiérrez at UFC 320 and Jean Matsumoto by split decision in February.
The Hugo fight got moved up to featherweight after Hugo missed weight by 10 pounds. The last one barely resembled the original plan. Basharat was booked against Ethyn Ewing for June 20, the bout slid to UFC 329 on July 11, Ewing withdrew, and promotional newcomer John Garza stepped in. Basharat won a unanimous decision, and that was the final fight on his deal.
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The obvious knock is style. Championship Rounds pointed out that six of his seven UFC wins came by decision, and the Rodrigues choke is the only finish of the bunch. Still, the UFC rarely cuts a ranked, undefeated 29-year-old, and nobody from the promotion has publicly explained this one in the sources available.
Basharat’s road here was long before it was fast. He came to England from Afghanistan as a refugee child with his mother and older brother Javid, rejoining their father, and the two brothers have been competing against each other ever since. They’re both bantamweights, and Javid fights in the PFL.
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Farid trains at American Top Team, owns a record most free agents would kill for, and as of this week he can take it anywhere.
