Farid Basharat walked out of UFC 329 with his hand raised, but not with a new UFC contract.
Basharat defeated late replacement John Garza by unanimous decision on the prelims in Las Vegas, extending his overall MMA record to 16-0 and his UFC mark to 7-0. Despite that run, he says he has yet to hear from the promotion.
"Still nothing," Basharat said. "I still haven't heard back from the UFC or from (matchmaker) Sean Shelby. I'm holding my breath. I'm waiting eagerly to find out."
Basharat noted his position among the promotion’s AI rankings and laid out the type of opposition he’s chasing. "… Let's see (what they do). I'm No. 9 now in the (UFC's) AI rankings, which is good, and I'm getting close to where I really want to fight the (Cory) Sandhagens, the (Mario) Bautistas, the (Song) Yadongs, those guys. I don't think they're too far. If I can't get any of them, I'd love the (David) Martinez fight. I think it makes sense. He's only two spots above me, so it's a fight that makes sense."
He also questioned why a new deal has not materialized. "Am I asking for a lot of money? They haven't even come to me with an offer," Basharat said. "Listen, I'm not asking for much, man. I'm not asking for a title shot. Just re-sign the guy."
