UFC CEO Dana White advised his promotion not to re-sign undefeated Farid Basharat at the following night’s event at UFC Edmonton.
Basharat (16-0) has gone 7-0 in his UFC tenure, but he was controversially offered a new contract this week after ending his previous deal with the promotion.
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When asked about the decision in a press conference Saturday after the fight, White said there were several reasons why the UFC could not re-sign the fight and alluded to potential issues behind the scenes with promoting the winners.
“I mean, it’s not the first time this has happened,” White said. “And either guys aren’t good at dealing when the winners don’t want to deal with them, which can change fights, or whatever the reason is.”
“If you’re 16-0 with seven wins in the UFC and don’t get re-signed,” he said, “there’s definitely a reason.”
White refused to elaborate further on the fact that the UFC opted not to offer Basharat a new contract. He also declined to confirm whether any of the circumstances he mentioned specifically applied to Basharat.
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Basharat, 29, said this week that he was never offered another contract or opponent after his last UFC win, denying that he would switch fights with the promotion at any time.
The Afghan-born bantamweight earned a trip to the UFC through the Contender Series promotion in 2022, and his official promotion debut in 2023. Six of his seven Octagon victories have come by decision. He hasn’t won one post-fight bonus in four years with his company.
Basharat’s last UFC appearance finally came in a July decision win over John Garza.