Basharat enters UFC 329 on final contract fight with no new deal guaranteed

Farid Basharat will step into the octagon at UFC 329 on July 11 carrying a perfect 15-0 record and the longest active win streak in the bantamweight division, but with no guarantee his UFC career continues beyond that night.

The 28-year-old Canadian is competing on the final fight of his current UFC contract, meaning the promotion can either offer a new deal or part ways with him entirely once the bout is done. It is a situation Basharat acknowledges openly.

“It’s a gamble,” Basharat told MMA Fighting. “If it were up to me, I’d re-sign straight away because ultimately the UFC is where everybody wants to be. I love being here. I enjoy fighting here on this stage. The company has always been good to me. My goal was always to be the UFC champion and I feel like I’m on my way.”

Basharat is under no illusions about what is at stake, but he believes a strong performance makes the decision easy for the UFC. “July 11, I go out there on the biggest card of the year and have a great performance — I think I’ll be undeniable to re-sign,” he said.

The stakes are sharpened by a family precedent. His brother Javid Basharat won his final contract fight against Gianni Vazquez in February, only for the UFC to decline to offer a new deal. Farid is determined not to follow the same path.

Basharat also has his eye on what a win could mean competitively. With Sean O’Malley’s recent defeat of Aiemann Zahabi ending that rival streak, Basharat now holds the longest winning run in the 135-pound division outright. “I’m hoping I go out there, beat this guy and get rewarded with a new contract. Hopefully the next opponent is going to be a step up. That’s the plan,” he said.

The fight itself has already been disrupted once. Basharat was originally scheduled to face rising prospect Ethyn Ewing before an injury removed Ewing from the card. A replacement opponent has not yet been confirmed.

Basharat said he has discussed the contract situation with his manager Ali Abdelaziz and that the UFC’s position was to assess his performance before entering renewal talks. “The UFC offered this fight and they said ‘get this fight out of the way and then we can discuss,’” he explained. “For myself, I feel like I’ve already proven I belong in the UFC. I have the longest win streak. They’ve been tough guys.”

With six octagon wins already banked and a top-bantamweight ranking to his name, Basharat arrives at UFC 329 needing a result that leaves the promotion with little choice but to keep him.