Farid Basharat is pushing back on Dana White.
After UFC Edmonton on Saturday, White said there was “definitely a reason” the UFC did not re-sign the 16-0 bantamweight. He suggested fighters in that spot are often hard to deal with or turn down fights.
Basharat responded in a video on social media Sunday.
First of all, and I’ve said this many times already, I definitely didn’t turn nobody down.
He pointed to fights he took under tough circumstances, including one where his opponent missed weight by 10 pounds and another on the Contender Series with an elbow injury.
So, these are facts you can ask your UFC staff, you can ask the nutrition team, you can ask the physio team. They will tell you these are facts. And with regards to if I was difficult to deal with, again, speak to your staff.
In a separate video posted before White’s comments, Basharat said UFC 329 in July was the last fight on his contract. He said the UFC put renewal talks on hold after that win.
I don’t think I fit the direction that they’re trying to move in. I think they’re trying to go for brawlers, spill your blood whether you win or lose type of stuff.
Basharat went 7-0 in the UFC. He confirmed his exit last week.
