Edmonton — A bit of an uproar followed the news earlier this month that undefeated 16-0 bantamweight Farid Basharat had not been re-signed to the UFC after picking up seven wins in the company.
Basharat went as far as to release a statement just a few days ago, noting that the promotion was not what it once was, the insinuation being that perhaps it was his lack of finishes that had seen him let go.
Now, UFC CEO and President Dana White has addressed the matter, speaking with Cageside Press during Saturday’s UFC Edmonton post-fight press conference.
“I think that when guys contracts are up— this isn’t the first time this has happened,” noted White, “and either guys aren’t good to deal with and the matchmakers don’t want to deal with them, which could be turning down fights or whatever the reasoning is.”
“If you’re 16-0 with seven wins in the UFC, and don’t get re-signed, there’s definitely a reason,” White added.
White was much more upbeat about the likes of Mike Malott, Jasmine Jasudavicius, and Mandel Nallo, three of the big winners for Canada on Saturday. Malott, in particular, scored a vicious knee-strike knockout in the main event, flatlining Joaquin Buckley.
“For Mike to be the main event here, in a big fight in his home country, that’s the way you want to get it done. You couldn’t do it any better than that,” stated White. As for Buckley, who snubbed White’s handshake at Friday’s ceremonial weigh-ins, “as soon as he lost I told Hunter [Campbell], cut him.”
“I’m f*cking joking,” White added with a laugh. “I have no problem with Joaquin Buckley.”
Asked about the timing of Jasudavicius’s win over Erin Blanchfield (the UFC just announced their return to Toronto in January), which could land her a title fight, White agreed it helped her chances. Natalia Silva currently holds flyweight gold, and the pair have history.
“It definitely doesn’t hurt. For both of these guys tonight, as the co-main and main, in their home country, to win the way that they won, it’s definitely a good thing for both of them.”
As for Mandel Nallo, who broke down Nate Landwehr in a near-flawless performance, “he absolutely put on a clinic,” stated White. “It was incredible.”
Watch the full UFC Edmonton post-fight press conference with Dana White above.