16-0 Farid Basharat fires back at Dana White over UFC exit comments

Farid Basharat is pushing back against suggestions that he was difficult to work with.

Ultimate Fighting Championship CEO Dana White addressed Basharat’s departure after UFC Edmonton. White suggested there were reasons beyond the unbeaten bantamweight’s results for the decision not to renew his contract, prompting a response.

The UFC did not offer Basharat (16-0) a new contract despite his 7-0 promotional record. After White raised difficulties with matchmakers and declined fights as possible reasons for such departures, “Ferocious” reiterated that he had never turned down an opponent and cited instances in which he competed under unfavorable circumstances.

Basharat pointed to his victory over Victor Hugo, who weighed 145.5 pounds for their originally scheduled bantamweight bout in 2024 — 9.5 pounds above the non-title limit. He also said he competed with a torn medial collateral ligament in his knee during his Dana White’s Contender Series appearance in 2022.

“He kind of alluded to, maybe I was turning down fights, or maybe I was difficult to deal with,” Basharat said on Instagram. “I definitely didn’t turn nobody down. In fact, we’re talking about the same guy that, in Abu Dhabi, I fought in 2024; my opponent missed weight by 10 pounds and I still went ahead with the fight… Still put on a good show and won. In my Contender Series fight, I had a torn MCL, still went ahead with the fight… These are facts you can ask your UFC staff; you can ask the physio team.”