Farid Basharat confirms release, says UFC different from ‘what we all grew up loving’

The MMA world was abuzz last night with news that the UFC had cut one of their undefeated. Farid Basharat’s 16-0 record and ninth place in the bantamweight rankings weren’t enough to keep him from the UFC’s chopping block.

The 29-year-old UK-based Afghan fighter most recently appeared at UFC 329 in July. There, he beat late replacement John Garza by unanimous decision. Garza came in after a mouth-watering match-up with Ethyn Ewing fell through.

Before that win over Garza, which was a little underwhelming, Basharat took wins over Jean Matsumoto, Chris Gutierrez and Victor Hugo — all by decision. Basharat, who came off Contender Series in 2022, went 7-0 in UFC, while managing just a single finish (a submission on Kleydson Rodrigues).

Basharat just released a statement online about his removal from the roster.

Here’s everything he had to say:

The news is confirmed, I am no longer with the UFC.

I’ve had an incredibly successful time in the organisation. I’m proud and happy with what I’ve accomplished inside the Octagon. I leave with a stainless record. Holding the longest active win streak in my weight division and the fourth longest in the entire UFC. I feel I’m the best bantamweight in the world. I always turned up and fought regardless of injuries and weight deficits. And I always asked for the toughest opponent to get me closer to the title.

But my departure clearly has nothing to do with my fighting capabilities. Unfortunately the organisation just isn’t what it used to be. They’re heading in a different direction from what we all grew up loving. I want to clarify that since my last fight I was never offered a contract or an opponent, I waited but it never came. I’ve certainly never declined a fight during my whole tenure.

I want to thank the UFC staff with whom I’ve developed a great relationship these past few years. And most importantly thank you to the fans for all your support

I’m still young, the best is yet to come inshaAllah

The most interesting tidbits are Basharat’s claims that the UFC “just isn’t what it used to be” and that the organization is “heading in a different direction from what we all grew up loving.”

Usually, comments like this read as bitterness. But, in this instance, it feels like Basharat might have put into words something many of us have felt over the past few years.

The UFC product has changed a lot over the past decade with quantity taking 10-8 rounds over quality on a week-in-week basis. We’ve seen cards stacked with Contender Series grads and rookies from the minor leagues. And our big names are either moving on elsewhere or sitting on the sidelines waiting for the promotion to make a fight worth their while.

We’re also seeing a change in what’s happening inside the cage. Finishes feel like they are at an all-time high. Contender Series, which is the main source of talent for UFC events now, is built on the premise that “if you can knock a guy out we’ll give you a contract.” This means the roster is currently stacked with heavy-hitters with a kill-or-be-killed style of fighting. Dominating wrestlers, like Basharat, and point-fighters, like Michael Page, are becoming endangered species around here.

It’s easy to see why the UFC would want just KOs on its product. Those are the ‘Holy Shit’ moments that Dana White wants. His vanity project Power Slap tells us just how much he loves a viral video. And the UFC now measures success by social media impressions (as per the press releases we’ve been getting from them this year).

I’m not in the UFC’s war room, but I’m guessing someone getting starched generates more hits than a close fight with takedowns, scrambles and technical exchanges on the feet.

Basharat will likely go to PFL now, where his brother went after he got cut from the UFC. I think we might see more winning fighters head that way, too, if they can’t make viral videos the brass craves so much. The big question is, if the good fighters go elsewhere, will the fans follow? Or are we as hooked on Holy Shit moments as Dana White is?