SNEAKO Accuses UFC of Targeting Muslim Fighters: “They Want White Christians as Heroes”

The UFC roster is made up of athletes from every religion, region and ethnicity, and each of them represents something. Compared to a decade ago, Muslim fighters like Islam Makhachev and Umar Nurmagomedov are now operating at an elite level. That is the backdrop for SNEAKO's latest claim. He has put forward the opinion that Farid Basharat was cut from the UFC because he is Muslim.

SNEAKO Alleges UFC Is Cutting Muslim Fighters After Years of Dagestani Dominance

The streamer pointed to the past decade, where the Dagestani fighters and other Muslim athletes dominated the sport. According to SNEAKO, the UFC is cutting Muslim fighters because it wants white Christians to be its heroes. It's worth noting that this is SNEAKO's opinion, not a reported fact. No such reason has been given for Basharat's release.

In his words, “I think Ariel Emanuel cut him because they don't want too many Muslim fighters. They saw Muslim domination of the past 10 years, with the Dagestanis and others. They're cutting Muslim fighters because the UFC wants white Christians to be the heroes of the UFC.”

Meanwhile, the promotion has cut plenty of fighters before and after the Paramount deal, from Michael Page to Muhammad Mokaev. The reasons varied. Page was let go for not being entertaining enough, while Mokaev had caused a lot of chaos behind the scenes. Nothing in those cases points to a religious angle.

Farid Basharat Breaks His Silence After UFC Exit

Basharat’s last fight came at UFC 329, where he beat John Garza by unanimous decision. He had said beforehand that it was the final bout on his deal. Six of his seven UFC wins went the distance, which led to talk that his lack of finishes played a part. Basharat has now taken aim at the UFC. He believes the company is building a fan base that doesn't value quality fighting.

In his words, “You just can't build a sport off that because you might do well for a couple of years ratings-wise, but sooner or later it's going to delegitimize the sport, and the fans are going to be left wanting high-quality fights.When I see the best against the best, for me, that's what's entertaining. But the UFC is guaranteed 7.7 billion over the next seven years, so they're clearly great at what they're doing. So what do I know?”

His older brother Javid left earlier in 2026 and signed with the PFL, and PFL or MVP MMA could be Farid's next stop.