The undefeated MMA fighter who was released from the UFC has hit back at Dana White after he hinted at issues behind his departure from the organisation.

Farid Basharat was surprisingly let go by the UFC after winning seven straight fights with the MMA leaders.

The bantamweight fighter came through Dana White's Contender Series and beat the likes of Da'Mon Blackshear, Taylor Lapilus and Chris Gutierrez in the UFC. He defeated John Garza in his last appearance on the prelims of Conor McGregor vs Max Holloway 2 at UFC 329.

In his first response to his UFC release, Basharat accused the UFC of cultivating a fanbase that values 'blood' and 'first-round finishes' over high-level competition.

Dana White Hints at Issues Behind Farid Basharat's Shock UFC Release

White addressed Basharat's departure following last weekend's UFC Edmonton and offered a vague response, seemingly hinting at behind-the-scenes issues.

He began: "Yeah, I think that when guys’ contracts are up, I mean, this isn’t the first time this has happened."

The UFC boss added: "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.”

After White's comments, Basharat took to social media to 'clear things up' and refuted the idea that he turned down fights or was difficult to deal with during his time with the UFC.

The 29-year-old also referenced his win over Victor Hugo at UFC 308 in 2024, where his opponent missed weight by 9.5lbs.

"I just want to address these comments made by Dana at the press conference last night. First of all, he kind of alluded to maybe I was turning down fights, or maybe I was difficult to deal with," he said.

"First of all, and I’ve said this many times already, I definitely didn’t turn nobody down. In fact, we’re talking about the same guy that, in Abu Dhabi when I fought in 2024, my opponent missed weight by 10 pounds and I still went ahead with the fight. And from what I know, it’s the largest weight disparity in UFC history. Still went ahead with the fight, still put on a good show, and won. My Contender Series fight, I had a torn MCL in my elbow, still went ahead with the fight.

"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. Ask anybody about me, there was no issues with me in any way, shape, or form."

Basharat continued: "I just feel like I had to put that out there, just to almost clear my name, because Dana’s gone out there and said all these things. In all my fights, my opponent had a combined record of, I think, 20-6.

"They’d only been finished once. And to go out there, I beat them all, I always put on a good show, every single one of my last three opponents I rocked or hurt. I just feel like I had to make this video to kind of almost clear things up."