\n<\/p>\n
Farid Basharat isn\u2019t biting his tongue when it comes to why the UFC refused to offer him another contract after he went 7-0 with the promotion.<\/p>\n
Basharat is 16-0 as a pro fighter and held the longest winning streak at bantamweight in the UFC. That didn\u2019t stop the promotion from going \u2018Meh\u2019 when it was time to offer him a new contract. Basharat joins a growing list of fighters with winning records whose contracts were not renewed.<\/p>\n
Dana White mysteriously suggested an unnamed deeper reason for Basharat not getting re-signed. If we were to guess, we\u2019d say it\u2019s because the Afghani fighter only finished one fight in seven bouts. In a new video, Basharat shares more of his thoughts.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think the company, the UFC, is manufacturing a fan base that doesn\u2019t appreciate good quality fighting,\u201d Basharat said. \u201cEven if it\u2019s a mismatch, even if it\u2019s a low level fight, as long as there\u2019s blood, as long as it\u2019s a first-round finish, we\u2019re happy.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIn my opinion, you just can\u2019t build a sport off that,\u201d he continued. \u201cBecause you might do well for a couple of years ratings wise, but sooner or later it\u2019s going to de-legitimize the sport, and the fans are going to be left wanting high-quality fights.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen I see the best against the best, for me, that\u2019s what\u2019s entertaining. But the UFC is guaranteed $7.7 billion over the next seven years, so they\u2019re clearly great at what they\u2019re doing. So what do I know?\u201d<\/p>\n
Basharat leaving the organization comes at a time where UFC events keep miraculously posting record numbers of finishes per event. That certainly sounds exciting at first, but long-time MMA fans know it\u2019s the competitive back-and-forth wars that are the true highlights, not endless first round knockouts.<\/p>\n
The unspoken argument on the other side is that the UFC won\u2019t keep you around if you aren\u2019t exciting. Critics of Basharat note his lack of finishes, control-heavy style and low striking stats. But the guy wasn\u2019t laying eggs in the octagon by any means. At what point does dropping a 7-0 fighter become promotional malpractice?<\/p>\n