Dana White says there is a reason Farid Basharat was not re-signed

The UFC boss did not say what it was, but said a fighter who is 16-0 with seven UFC wins is not let go without one.

Dana White would not say why the UFC let unbeaten bantamweight Farid Basharat go when his contract ran out, but insisted the decision was not without cause.

Asked at the UFC Edmonton post-fight press conference whether anything had led to Basharat not being re-signed, White said: "If you're 16-0 with seven wins in the UFC and don't get re-signed, there's definitely a reason."

He did not give a reason specific to Basharat. Speaking generally about fighters whose contracts run out, White said: "This isn't the first time this has happened, and either guys aren't good to deal with and the matchmakers don't want to deal with them, or, you know, which could be turning down fights or whatever the reasoning is."

The question noted that Basharat, 16-0 overall and 7-0 in the UFC, had no finishes in the Octagon.

Basharat has already denied turning anything down. "I want to clarify that since my last fight I was never offered a contract or an opponent, I waited but it never came," he wrote on X on Thursday. "I've certainly never declined a fight during my whole tenure."

Basharat confirmed his release this week, leaving him free to sign elsewhere.

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