Tag: Farid Basharat

Farid Basharat calls for Jose Aldo after UFC 308 win: ‘I’m better than him everywhere’

UFC 308 winner Farid Basharat says he’s better than Jose Aldo everywhere and wants to prove it in 2025.

ABU DHABI – [autotag]Farid Basharat[/autotag] has big plans for 2025 following his UFC 308 win.

After Basharat (13-0 MMA, 4-0 UFC) defeated a heavy Victor Hugo on Saturday at Etihad Arena, he called for a fight against one of the consensus greatest fighters of all time.

“Beginning of 2025, I want ‘The King of Rio,’ [autotag]Jose Aldo[/autotag],” Basharat told MMA Junkie and other reporters at a post-fight news conferencfe. “We could do it in Brazil, America, London, Saudi, wherever. It doesn’t matter. He wins, he proves he belongs with this new generation. I win, he passes me the torch. Let’s see. Generations collide. I’ve been watching him since I was 11 or 12. I think it’s the perfect fight that makes sense.”

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Aldo (32-9 MMA, 14-8 UFC) most recently competed Oct. 5 at UFC 307 and lost a controversial split decision against Mario Bautista. After the fight, Bautista found himself under fire from many viewers that criticized his wall-and-stall-heavy approach.

Basharat recognizes the possibility a grindy attack might be the easiest route to victory. But if Basharat ever fights Aldo, he said he doesn’t want that to be the path he takes.

“If I’m being completely honest, I think he won,” Basharat said. “I thought Jose won. But at the same time, how many times has Jose lost like that now where he kind of rests along the cage? Because it’s Jose, everybody loves him so much and they give him the benefit of the doubt. But you can’t just rest on the cage like that and expect to get the benefit of the doubt just because you’re a legend. I think he won. Yeah, he needs to do a little bit more sometimes.

“… I’ definitely try to approach it differently. You never really want to win like that essentially. But at the same time, he has proven to have sure holes there. But that’s not really my style to just lay and pray, lean on somebody along the cage. I’ll take you down and I’ll keep you down, but I’m not just going to lay and pray on you along the cage and keep on you. I’m going to get you down. I’m going to stick and move. I’m going to kick you. Ultimately, I feel like at this stage of my career and this stage of Jose’s career, I have the advantages in most places. Besides experience and maybe power, I think I’m better than him everywhere.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 308.

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UFC 308 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay: Ilia Topuria’s $42,000 leads card

Ilia Topuria and Max Holloway combined for $74,000 of the Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay for UFC 308.

ABU DHABI – Fighters from Saturday’s UFC 308 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $252,000.

The program, a comprehensive plan that includes outfitting requirements, media obligations and other items under the fighter code of conduct, replaces the previous payments made under the UFC Athlete Outfitting Policy.

UFC 308 took place at Etihad Arena on Yas Island. The main card aired on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPN+

The full UFC 308 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:

* * * *

[autotag]Ilia Topuria[/autotag]: $42,000
def. [autotag]Max Holloway[/autotag]: $32,000

[autotag]Khamzat Chimaev[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Robert Whittaker[/autotag]: $21,000

[autotag]Magomed Ankalaev[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Aleksandar Rakic[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Lerone Murphy[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Dan Ige[/autotag]: $16,000

[autotag]Shara Magomedov[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Armen Petrosyan[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Ibo Aslan[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Rafael Cerqueira[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Geoff Neal[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Rafael dos Anjos[/autotag]: $21,000

[autotag]Mateusz Rebecki[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Myktybek Orolbai[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Abus Magomedov[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Brunno Ferreira[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Kennedy Nzechukwu[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Chris Barnett[/autotag]: $4,500

[autotag]Farid Basharat[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Victor Hugo[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Ismail Naurdiev[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Bruno Silva[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Rinat Fakhretdinov[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Carlos Leal[/autotag]: $4,000

Under the UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance program’s payout tiers, which appropriate the money generated by Venum’s multi-year sponsorship with the UFC, fighters are paid based on their total number of UFC bouts, as well as Zuffa-era WEC fights (January 2007 and later) and Zuffa-era Strikeforce bouts (April 2011 and later). Fighters with 1-3 bouts receive $4,000 per appearance; 4-5 bouts get $4,500; 6-10 bouts get $6,000; 11-15 bouts earn $11,000; 16-20 bouts pocket $16,000; and 21 bouts and more get $21,000. Additionally, champions earn $42,000 while title challengers get $32,000.

In addition to experience-based pay, UFC fighters will receive in perpetuity royalty payments amounting to 20-30 percent of any UFC merchandise sold that bears their likeness, according to officials.

Full 2024 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts:

Year-to-date total: $6,896,000
2023 total: $8,188,000
2022 total: $8,351,500
2021 total: $6,167,500
Program-to-date total: $29,633,000

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 308.

Farid Basharat def. Victor Hugo at UFC 308: Best photos from Abu Dhabi

Check out the best photos from Farid Basharat’s unanimous decision win over Victor Hugo at UFC 308 at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi.

Check out the best photos from [autotag]Farid Basharat[/autotag]’s unanimous decision win over Victor Hugo at UFC 308 at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi. (Photos by Craig Kidwell, special to MMA Junkie; MMA Junkie; UFC)

‘Life and death’ fighter Farid Basharat says UFC’s bantamweight division on notice

Farid Basharat wept the judges scorecards and stayed unbeaten at UFC Fight Night 234. Now he’s eyeing the top of the division.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Farid Basharat[/autotag] beat Taylor Lapilus with a unanimous decision Saturday on the preliminary card at UFC Fight Night 234 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

Take a look inside the fight with Basharat, who swept the judges scorecards and stayed unbeaten.

UFC Fight Night 234 post-event facts: Jim Miller adds more records to epic resume

Check out all the facts from UFC Fight Night 234, which saw Jim Miller grow his all-time wins record and add more history to his resume.

The UFC returned from its holiday hiatus on Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, and although it wasn’t the most stacked lineup, UFC Fight Night 234 delivered seven stoppage results out of 11 bouts.

In the main event, Magomed Ankalaev (19-1-1 MMA, 10-1-1 UFC) produced definitive closure on his rivalry with Johnny Walker (21-8 MMA, 7-5 UFC), scoring a second-round knockout in their light heavyweight rematch to potentially set himself up for a championship opportunity.

For more on the numbers behind the headliner, as well as the rest of the card, check below for MMA Junkie’s post-event facts from UFC Fight Night 234.

UFC Fight Night 234 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay: Jim Miller, Andrei Arlovski get max non-title payouts

UFC Fight Night 234 fighters took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay, a program that continued after the UFC’s deal with Venum.

LAS VEGAS – Fighters from Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 234 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $159,500.

The program, a comprehensive plan that includes outfitting requirements, media obligations and other items under the fighter code of conduct, replaces the previous payments made under the UFC Athlete Outfitting Policy.

UFC Fight Night 234 took place at the UFC Apex. The entire card streamed on ESPN+.

The full UFC Fight Night 234 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:

* * * *

[autotag]Magomed Ankalaev[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Johnny Walker[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Jim Miller[/autotag]: $21,000
def. [autotag]Gabriel Benitez[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Mario Bautista[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Ricky Simon[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Brunno Ferreira[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Phil Hawes[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Waldo Cortes-Acosta[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Andrei Arlovski[/autotag]: $21,000

[autotag]Preston Parsons[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Matthew Semelsberger[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Marcus McGhee[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Gaston Bolanos[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Farid Basharat[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Taylor Lapilus[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Jean Silva[/autotag]: $4,000
[autotag]Westin Wilson[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Nikolas Motta[/autotag]: $4,500
def. [autotag]Tom Nolan[/autotag]: $4,000

[autotag]Joshua Van[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Felipe Bunes[/autotag]: $4,000

Under the UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance program’s payout tiers, which appropriate the money generated by Venum’s multi-year sponsorship with the UFC, fighters are paid based on their total number of UFC bouts, as well as Zuffa-era WEC fights (January 2007 and later) and Zuffa-era Strikeforce bouts (April 2341 and later). Fighters with 1-3 bouts receive $4,000 per appearance; 4-5 bouts get $4,500; 6-10 bouts get $6,000; 11-15 bouts earn $11,000; 16-20 bouts pocket $16,000; and 21 bouts and more get $21,000. Additionally, champions earn $42,000 while title challengers get $32,000.

In addition to experience-based pay, UFC fighters will receive in perpetuity royalty payments amounting to 20-30 percent of any UFC merchandise sold that bears their likeness, according to officials.

Full 2024 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts:

  • “UFC Fight Night 234: Ankalaev vs. Walker 2” – $159,500

Year-to-date total: $159,500
2023 total: $8,188,000
2022 total: $8,351,500
2021 total: $6,167,500
Program-to-date total: $22,866,500

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 234.

UFC Fight Night 234 video: Hear from each winner, guest fighters backstage

Check out what the UFC Fight Night 234 winners and guest fighters had to say backstage at Saturday’s event.

LAS VEGAS – UFC Fight Night 234 took place Saturday with 11 bouts on the lineup. We’ve got you covered with backstage winner interviews from the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

You can hear from all the UFC Fight Night 234 winners by checking out their post-fight news conferences below.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 234.

MMA Junkie’s 2023 Gym of the Year: Xtreme Couture

Xtreme Couture is MMA Junkie’s 2023 Gym of the Year for its success molding Francis Ngannou, Sean Strickland, Patchy Mix and others.

What a year it was for the Las Vegas-based Xtreme Couture’s coaching staff and fight team.

Head coach Eric Nicksick was at the helm, flanked by a staff that includes Dewey Cooper, Dennis Davis, Nathan Pettit, Eddie Barraco, Jimmy Gifford, Danny Davis Jr., Maki Pitolo, Jake Shields, Ray Sefo, Roman Isbell, Matheus Naccache, Gil Guardado, and Justin Jaynes among others.

Among the gym’s accomplishments in 2023, [autotag]Francis Ngannou[/autotag] crossed over into the world of boxing, where he knocked down (and nearly defeated) heavyweight champion Tyson Fury – in his professional debut.

Xtreme Couture middleweight staple [autotag]Sean Strickland[/autotag] defied the odds when he dethroned Israel Adesanya at UFC 293 in September to become champion.

[autotag]Patchy Mix[/autotag] solidified his status as one of the best pound-for-pound fighters outside the UFC when he finished Raufeon Stots and Sergio Pettis to win the Bellator bantamweight grand prix and divisional title.

Other Xtreme Couture standouts in 2023 included [autotag]Tatiana Suarez[/autotag], [autotag]Daniel Zellhuber[/autotag], [autotag]Manel Kape[/autotag], [autotag]Farid Basharat[/autotag], [autotag]Javid Basharat[/autotag], and others who also had strong years. The training room’s population continues to grow with many other fighters on the verge of greatness.

That’s why Xtreme Couture is MMA Junkie’s 2023 Gym of the Year.

Matchup Roundup: New UFC and Bellator fights announced in the past week (Nov. 6-12)

All the UFC and Bellator fight announcements that were first reported or confirmed by MMA Junkie in the past week.

MMA fight announcements are hard to follow. With so many outlets and channels available, it’s nearly impossible to organize.

But here at MMA Junkie, we’ve got your back.

Each week, we’ll compile all the newly surfaced fights in one spot. Every Monday, expect a feature listing everything you might have missed from the UFC or Bellator.

Here are the fight announcements that were broken or confirmed by MMA Junkie or officially announced by the promotions from Nov. 6-12.

Farid Basharat wants return on Dec. 16 UFC PPV, but no opponent in mind: ‘I don’t want to cherry-pick’

Farid Basharat wants to get in one more fight before the end of the year.

PARIS – [autotag]Farid Basharat[/autotag] didn’t get time to call his shot in his in-cage, post-fight interview at UFC Fight Night 226, but he did let the media know what he wants next.

Basharat (11-0 MMA, 2-0 UFC), who defeated Kleydson Rodrigues (8-3 MMA, 1-1 UFC) by first-round submission on Saturday night, is hoping to get another fight this 2023.

“I want to fight Dec. 16, maybe if it’s (Conor) McGregor vs. (Michael) Chandler,” Basharat said backstage in the post-fight press conference. “If not, it doesn’t matter. I want to fight Dec. 16. I think that’s 15 weeks for now. I feel good for the most part, so I want to stay active, and I want to get back in there. I feel very confident in my ability. Dec. 16, that’s the card I want to fight on.”

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As far as a potential opponent, Basharat doesn’t see availability at the top, and there’s no way he’ll call someone out below him.

“No, there isn’t anybody I have in mind,” Basharat said. “The division is in a place where most of the people above me are booked. There are some guys who are below me, but they’re not worth calling out, you know. I don’t want to cherry-pick.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 226.