UFC star cut from roster with perfect record issues response to Dana White's remarks about him

Former UFC star Farid Basharat has issued a response after Dana White suggested he was cut from the roster for reasons other than fighting.

The Afghan-British fighter, who has a record of 7-0, saw his contract with the UFC expire in July after a victory over John Garza.

But despite being ranked in the top 10 in the official bantamweight rankings, it was reported earlier this week that Basharat had been cut from the promotion - which UFC president White confirmed to be the case in a press conference on Saturday evening. His comments on the matter, though, caused plenty of controversy, and Basharat has now issued a response.

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What Dana White said about Farid Basharat

"I think that when guys' contracts are up, and this isn't the first time this has happened," White told reporters. "And 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. If you're 16-0, with seven wins in the UFC, and you don't get re-signed, there's definitely a reason."

White did not elaborate further on the reason behind Basharat not being re-signed, with the reporter having asked if there was 'anything we don't know' about what happened behind-the-scenes.

It had been speculated that the nature of Basharat's record - six of his seven wins were secured via decision, rather than knockouts - may have played a part in him being cut from the UFC roster. But according to the man himself, there is more to it than that.

Farid Basharat responds to Dana White

Taking to his Instagram account on Saturday, Basharat has now responded to the comments made by White with his own version of events.

"I just want to address these comments made by Dana last night," he began. "First of all, he alluded to maybe I was turning down fights, or maybe I was difficult to deal with.

"I've said it many times already - I definitely didn't turn nobody down. In fact, we're talking about the same guy that, in Abu Dhabi when I fought in 2024, my opponent missed weight by 10 pounds and I still went ahead with the fight. From what I know, it's the largest weight disparity in UFC history. Still went ahead with the fight, still put on a good show and won.

"My Contender Series fight. I had a torn UCL in my elbow, still went ahead with the fight. My last fight, was injured. So these are the facts. You can ask the UFC staff, you can ask the nutrition team, you can ask the physio team, they will tell you these are facts.

"With regards to if I was difficult to deal with, again, speak to your staff, ask anybody about me. There was no issues with me in any way, shape or form. And I feel like I have to put that out there, just to kind of almost clear my name because Dana's said all these things.

"In all my fights, my opponents had a combined record of I think 20-6. They'd only be finished once. I went out there, I beat them all, I always put on a good show. Every single one of my last three opponents, I've rocked or hurt. So I felt like I had to make this video to clear things up."