Ex-UFC heavyweight claims to know why Farid Basharat was not re-signed: "I unfortunately called this"
The UFC's decision not to re-sign Farid Basharat has left many heads scratching, but an ex-UFC fighter claims to have predicted it.
Despite being undefeated, Farid Basharat was not offered a new contract after completing his previous UFC contract. The promotion's reasons for not re-signing a 16-0 fighter at the peak of his powers remain unknown, but an oft-forgotten UFC alumnus once predicted that Basharat would be difficult to re-sign.
The Farid Basharat contract saga
Farid Basharat last fought at UFC 392, defeating John Garza via unanimous decision. There was interest in how far he'd go in the UFC bantamweight division, so many waited for the promotion to re-sign him after his contract was up. Unfortunately for Basharat, it never happened, and news of the UFC's unwillingness to re-sign him stunned many. Somebody who wasn't surprised was Zac Pauga, who had a 1-3 stint in the UFC heavyweight division. Pauga believes that Basharat was being difficult and turning down the matchups the UFC had offered him.
"I unfortunately called this 3 months ago. The fact he was removed immediately means that they were giving him options that he didn't want. I get that everyone was mad that they removed an undefeated fighter but it's not that cut and dry."
In an older tweet from July, Pauga had reacted to a tweet from MMA journalist James Lynch, who had reported that Basharat had contacted him with information about his contract being up and that while he wanted to re-sign with the UFC, he did not want to fight Ethyn Ewing, who had withdrawn from a previously scheduled bout of theirs for UFC 329. This news is what initially gave Pauga doubts about Basharat.
"Main goal is resigning but is already saying who he won't fight..."
However, according to a recent statement released from Basharat himself on X, he did not decline any matchups during his time with the UFC, nor was he offered an opponent or contract after his last fight. Despite feeling like the best bantamweight in the world, his chance to prove it is gone, as he won't be facing the UFC's top 135-pounders any time soon. Where he goes to next is anyone's guess, but Basharat won't be short of options, as the PFL-MVP promotion after its recent merger is a potential destination, as are ONE Championship and Scott Coker's new MMA promotion, Ki MMA.
