UFC Lets UNDEFEATED BASHARAT Walk After GARZA Win
Farid Basharat never lost in the UFC, went 7-0 in the promotion, and still did not get a new contract.
Farid Basharat is 16-0 as a professional. He won every one of his seven UFC fights. The promotion still let him walk.
Basharat has been removed from the UFC roster, according to a report from MMA Fighting. He completed his contract in July. The UFC did not offer him a new deal.
That is the whole story, and it is a hard one to explain to any fan who thinks winning is enough.
Winning Was Not Enough
The Perfect Record
Basharat earned his UFC contract on Dana White's Contender Series in 2022. He then built a perfect run in the bantamweight division.
His UFC wins include Da'Mon Blackshear, Jean Matsumoto and Chris Gutierrez. His final fight on the deal was a victory over John Garza in July.
Six of his seven UFC wins came by decision. That one line may explain the decision more than the perfect record does.
The Pattern Behind It
Basharat is not the first winning fighter to get this treatment. He joins Muhammad Mokaev and Michael Page on the list of fighters whose contracts were not renewed despite winning streaks.
The message to the roster is clear, even if nobody says it out loud. Winning keeps you safe only if the promotion wants to keep selling your fights.
A decision-heavy run gives matchmakers an easy reason to look away. Basharat gave them wins. He did not give them finishes, and the finishes seem to be what counted.
His Brother Went First
His brother Javid Basharat left the UFC in February. Javid won his final UFC appearance, then joined the Professional Fighters League.
Javid's recent UFC form was mixed, at 1-2 with one no contest in his last four fights. Farid's case is cleaner and harder to defend. He never lost at all.
Now a 16-0 bantamweight is a free agent. Another promotion can sign an unbeaten fighter in his prime and market the record the UFC built.
Did the UFC just hand a rival its easiest sales pitch of the year?
