Mokaev Defends Farid Basharat and Calls Out UFC Over Releases

Muhammad Mokaev, who left the UFC unbeaten in 2024, has taken to social media to defend Farid Basharat and to take aim at Dana White and the promotion's handling of fighter releases.

Basharat, an unbeaten bantamweight contender, recently learned that the UFC would not re-sign him after the final fight of his contract in July. He beat John Garza at UFC 329 to go 7-0 in the promotion and 16-0 overall, but believes his lack of finishes and a style officials did not appreciate led to his exit. White had pointed to "reasons" outside of competition for letting Basharat walk.

"Isn't that influencing the competition?"

Mokaev went through something similar in 2024, leaving the UFC with no losses on his record. In his post he claimed that fighters receive phone calls from bosses warning them that they will be cut if they keep wrestling the way they do, which in his view amounts to telling athletes how to fight. He questioned at what point that crosses the line and whether it amounts to interfering with the competition itself.

He also addressed how releases are explained in public. Mokaev said the UFC is free to let fighters go, but should not then describe them as difficult to deal with or build a damaging story that might make other organizations hesitate to sign them. "Just don't try to damage their careers on the way out."

Mokaev's UFC exit

Like Basharat, Mokaev relied on a wrestling-heavy style, and four of his seven UFC wins came by submission. His final UFC appearance was a decision win over Manel Kape at UFC 304, a bout that followed a fight-week altercation in which Mokaev admitted he threw the first punch.

Since leaving the UFC, Mokaev has gone 4-0 and finished three of those four opponents. The 26-year-old is currently ranked seventh at 125 pounds in the MMA Fighting Global Rankings.