My bad, kid.
Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) CEO Dana White has apologized to Farid Basharat after his comments regarding the undefeated Bantamweight’s surprising departure from the promotion painted him as potentially difficult to work with.
Basharat recently fought out his UFC contract and was not offered a new deal despite winning all seven of his Octagon appearances and holding a spot in the Bantamweight rankings.
When White was initially asked to explain the decision, he suggested that fighters occasionally aren’t re-signed because they turn down matchups or create problems for UFC matchmakers.
“When guys’ contracts are up — and this isn’t the first time this has happened — either guys aren’t good to deal with, or the matchmakers don’t want to deal with them, which could be turning down fights or whatever the reasoning is,” White said following UFC Edmonton. “If you’re 16-0 with seven wins in the UFC and don’t get re-signed, there’s definitely a reason.”
Basharat vehemently denied ever declining a fight and accused White of potentially damaging his reputation with other promotions. “Ferocious” pointed toward the injuries and extreme weight discrepancies he accepted during his UFC tenure as proof that he was never difficult to work with.
During the UFC 333 post-fight press conference, White admitted his vague response unfairly placed Basharat under suspicion.
“When I was talking to the media that night, and I was saying reasons that you could not get re-signed, I wasn’t saying that about him,” White explained. “I said, ‘Well, it’s happened before.’ There are lots of reasons why guys don’t get re-signed. I wasn’t talking about him specifically.
“I actually saw his response video on my Instagram, and I was like, ‘Oh s—t. I didn’t mean to do that to that kid,’” White continued. “And I saw he had said something like, ‘If you’re not going to re-sign me, don’t try to hurt my career.’ And in no way, shape or form did I try to do that.”
White insisted there are no personal or professional issues between UFC and Basharat, predicting that the undefeated 29-year-old will have no trouble finding another promotional home.
“I have no problems with him whatsoever, personally or professionally, and I’m sure with his record and what he’s got going on, he’ll get signed somewhere,” White said.
Could Basharat eventually return to the Octagon?
“I wouldn’t say in the near future,” White said. “We just let him go. But I’m not saying it’s not a possibility that he could come back to the UFC.”
White’s apology clears Basharat of the accusations surrounding his exit. However, it still leaves the biggest question unanswered: Why did UFC allow an undefeated, ranked contender to walk away in the first place?
Well, we know the answer—less boring, more violence.
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