Undefeated fighter fired from the UFC: he had 16 consecutive wins

Farid Basharat confirmed rumors on his social media that he has left the UFC roster. The fighter, who previously held a spot in the top 10 of his division, was waiting for a contract extension offer from the world's strongest MMA league, but it did not come. "The news is confirmed, I am no longer with the UFC. I’ve had an incredibly successful time in the organization. I’m proud and happy with what I’ve accomplished inside the Octagon. I leave with a clean record. I have the longest active winning streak in my division and the fourth longest in the entire UFC. I consider myself the best bantamweight fighter in the world. I always came out and fought despite injuries and weight problems. And I always asked for the toughest opponents to get closer to the title. But my departure is clearly not related to my abilities. Unfortunately, the organization is no longer what we used to love. They are moving in a different direction," writes Basharat. Glory to God, Lord of the worlds. The news is confirmed, I am no longer with the UFC. I’ve had an incredibly successful time in the organization. I’m proud and happy with what I’ve accomplished inside the Octagon. I leave with a clean record. Holding the longest active win streak in my weight division and the fourth longest in the entire UFC. I feel I’m the best bantamweight in the world. I always turned up and fought regardless of injuries and weight deficits. And I always asked for the toughest opponent to get me closer to the title. But my departure clearly has nothing to do with my fighting capabilities. Unfortunately, the organization just isn’t what it used to be. They’re heading in a different direction from what we all grew up loving. I want to clarify that since my last fight I was never offered a contract or an opponent, I waited but it never came. I’ve certainly never declined a fight during my whole tenure. I want to thank the UFC staff with whom I’ve developed a great relationship these past few years. And most importantly thank you to the fans for all your support ❤️ I’m still young, the best is yet to come inshaAllah. 🌹 — Farid Basharat (@faridbofficial) October 15, 2026 Farid Basharat left undefeated Farid Basharat received a contract with the UFC after winning by unanimous decision against Allan Begosso at Dana White’s Contender Series in September 2022. In March 2023, he debuted at UFC 285 and won by unanimous decision against Damon Blackshire. Watch this post on Instagram In September of the same year, at the tournament in Paris (France), he ended the fight early with a chokehold against Kleidon Rodriguez - this was his only finish in the organization. Watch this post on Instagram Then followed wins by unanimous decision against Taylor Lapilus in January 2024, Victor Ugo at UFC 308 in October 2024 (in lightweight), Chris Gutierrez at UFC 320 in October 2025, and by unanimous decision against Jean Matsumoto in February 2026. Watch this post on Instagram The 29-year-old athlete ended his contract with a unanimous decision victory over John Garza at UFC 329 in July 2026 in Las Vegas (Nevada, USA). In total in the UFC, Basharat has seven wins with zero losses, six of which were by judges' decisions. Watch this post on Instagram Why is the UFC pushing strong fighters out? Many observers link the UFC's decision to the fact that Basharat's style is considered not spectacular enough. Six of his seven wins in the organization ended in judge's decisions, and in recent years, the promotion has increasingly favored fighters who regularly finish opponents and create exciting shows. Watch this post on Instagram A similar fate has already befallen other strong and even undefeated athletes. In 2024, undefeated Muhammad Mokaev (7-0 in the organization) left the UFC, who was also criticized for his grappling style and boring fights. Watch this post on Instagram In 2026, a similar story happened with Michael Page: the Brit won five out of six fights in the UFC, but all his victories were by points, and the contract with him was also not extended. 🚨 Michael 'Venom' Page plans to change his style to introduce more volume, and hopes the UFC will re-sign him "The results show that I haven't done enough. I need to push myself a little more, take a few more risks. I know there's more. There's not one person in the world that can stand with me. But there are too many people that can survive with me. That's what I need to change. My output needs to change. I might have to doctor my style a little bit, maybe adapt it so people feel more comfortable coming forward. I gotta go back to the drawing board. I gotta sit down with the UFC and have an honest conversation. I know I can do better, I'm aspiring to do better." — Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) September 5, 2026 The UFC boss spoke about Shavkat Rakhmonov's return Previously, the UFC president and CEO Dana White reacted to the criticism of middleweight champion Sean Strickland regarding fighter funding.