Dana White hints at off-cage issues behind undefeated Farid Basharat's UFC exit

Dana White has implied that undisclosed off-cage factors drove the UFC’s decision not to re-sign unbeaten bantamweight Farid Basharat, whose departure from the promotion was confirmed this week after he completed his contract with a 16-0 professional record and seven UFC victories.

Speaking to media following Saturday’s UFC Edmonton event, White was asked to explain why a fighter of Basharat’s standing had been allowed to leave. “I think that when guys’ contracts are up — either guys aren’t good to deal with and the matchmakers don’t want to deal with them, which could be turning down fights or whatever the reasoning is,” White said. “If you’re 16-0, with seven wins in the UFC and don’t get re-signed, there’s definitely a reason.”

White declined to specify what that reason was, and no follow-up questions were put to him on the subject.

Basharat had already offered his own account of the split earlier in the week. “My departure clearly has nothing to do with my fighting capabilities,” he wrote in a public statement. “Unfortunately the organization just isn’t what it used to be. They’re heading in a different direction from what we all grew up loving.”

The 26-year-old’s exit had already drawn scrutiny before White’s comments, with some observers pointing to the fact that Basharat secured only one finish across his seven UFC bouts as a possible factor in the promotion’s thinking. The UFC has historically favoured fighters who produce highlight-reel finishes.

Basharat is not the only member of his family to have left the organisation recently. His brother Sharabudin Basharat, who holds a 4-2 record with one no-contest inside the UFC, also parted ways with the promotion this year following a win over Gianni Vazquez.

White’s cryptic framing echoes comments he made in 2024 when undefeated flyweight Muhammad Mokaev was released after a win over top contender Manel Kape at UFC 304. At the time, White said, “There was so much bad shit that happened behind the scenes,” a reference to a series of altercations between Mokaev and Kape in the build-up to their fight. Mokaev, like Basharat, had been considered a significant prospect before his exit.