Unbeaten bantamweight Farid Basharat removed from UFC roster despite 7-0 octagon run

Farid Basharat (16-0), the No. 13 ranked UFC bantamweight, fought out his contract and was not offered a new deal, MMA Fighting reported on October 14.

Unbeaten bantamweight Farid Basharat has been removed from the UFC roster after fighting out his contract, MMA Fighting reported on Wednesday, October 14. According to the outlet, the 29-year-old was not offered a new deal by the promotion despite going 7-0 inside the octagon and climbing into the official bantamweight rankings.

Basharat (16-0) is currently listed at No. 13 in the UFC's 135-pound division on his UFC.com profile. His most recent appearance was a unanimous decision win over John Garza at UFC 329: McGregor vs Holloway 2 on July 11 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, which, per MMA Fighting, was the final bout on his contract.

What the report says

MMA Fighting's Guilherme Cruz reported that Basharat completed his deal with the Garza win and was not offered a new contract. Having fought out his agreement, Basharat is free to sign with any other promotion, although the outlet noted that the UFC could potentially re-sign him at some point in the future. The UFC has not publicly commented on the move.

A perfect UFC run

Basharat, who was born in Paktia, Afghanistan, and trains at American Top Team, earned his UFC contract on Dana White's Contender Series in September 2022 with a unanimous decision win over Allan Begosso. According to his official UFC record, he then won all seven of his octagon appearances:

UFC 285 (March 4, 2023): def. Da'Mon Blackshear by unanimous decision
UFC Fight Night (September 2, 2023): def. Kleydson Rodrigues by arm-triangle choke, Round 1, 4:15
UFC Fight Night (January 13, 2024): def. Taylor Lapilus by unanimous decision
UFC 308 (October 26, 2024): def. Victor Hugo by unanimous decision
UFC 320 (October 4, 2025): def. Chris Gutierrez by unanimous decision
UFC Fight Night (February 7, 2026): def. Jean Matsumoto by split decision
UFC 329 (July 11, 2026): def. John Garza by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)

Six of those seven wins went the distance, and his last five UFC fights all ended on the scorecards. Against Garza, Basharat landed 86 of 134 significant strikes and secured five takedowns, according to UFC Stats.

Following his brother's path

The move mirrors the situation of his older brother, Javid Basharat. As MMA Fighting noted, Javid was also let go by the UFC coming off a victory and has since joined the PFL.

It is rare for an undefeated, ranked fighter to leave the UFC. Basharat now becomes one of the most notable free agents in the bantamweight division, and his next move will be closely watched by rival promotions. No signing with another organization has been reported so far.