Javid Basharat (born 7 September 1995) is an Afghan-born English mixed martial artist who competes in the Bantamweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).

Javid Basharat
Born (1995-09-07) September 7, 1995 (age 29)
Paktia, Afghanistan
Other namesThe Snow Leopard
Height5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)
Weight135 lb (61 kg; 9 st 9 lb)
DivisionBantamweight
Reach69 in (175 cm)[1]
Fighting out ofLondon, England
TeamXtreme Couture
Years active2016–present
Mixed martial arts record
Total16
Wins14
By knockout5
By submission6
By decision3
Losses1
By decision1
No contests1
Other information
Notable relativesFarid Basharat (brother)
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog

Background

edit

Javid and his younger brother Farid, who is also a UFC fighter, arrived in England from Afghanistan with their mother as refugees at the age of 5, where they rejoined their father.[2][3]

Basharat's journey in combat sports began with taekwondo at the age of 13, inspired by Afghanistan's Rohullah Nikpai's historic bronze medal win in the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. His parents enrolled him in taekwondo for self-defense, recognizing his youthful energy and penchant for sparring with his brother. Although he initially honed his skills in England, Basharat hadn't yet heard of the UFC and was more familiar with the world of boxing. He was exposed to mixed martial arts at London Shootfighters.[4][3]

Mixed martial arts career

edit

Early career

edit

Basharat maintained an undefeated record, fighting mostly on the English regional scene, starting out with his debut TKO win over Gino Kroes at "Rise of Champions 2" in April 2016. He continued with victories via submissions and TKOs in the next 9 bouts, claiming the CON Bantamweight Championship in 2018 and defending it successfully.

Basharat was invited to compete on Dana White's Contender Series Season 5, where he faced undefeated Israeli fighter Oron Kahlon.[5] Kahlon missed weight by four pounds and was fined 20% of his purse. At the promotional face-off, Basharat rejected a handshake due to the missed weight. Kahlon then called Basharat a "terrorist", sparking controversy.[6][7][8] Basharat dominated the fight, finishing Kahlon with a guillotine choke in the third round to earn a UFC contract.[9][10]

Ultimate Fighting Championship

edit

In his UFC debut, Basharat faced Trevin Jones at UFC Fight Night 203 on March 11, 2022.[11] He won the bout via unanimous decision.[12]

Basharat faced Tony Gravely at UFC Fight Night 210 on September 17, 2022.[13] He won the bout via unanimous decision.[14]

Basharat faced Mateus Mendonça at UFC Fight Night 217 on January 14, 2023.[15] He won the bout via unanimous decision.[16]

Basharat was scheduled to face Victor Henry on September 23, 2023, at UFC Fight Night 228.[17] However, Henry withdrew for unknown reasons and the bout was rescheduled for UFC 294 on October 21, 2023.[18] The fight ended in no-contest after an unintentional groin kick by Basharat rendered Henry unable to continue.[19]

Basharat faced Aiemann Zahabi on March 2, 2024, at UFC Fight Night 238.[20] He lost the bout by unanimous decision.[21]

Basharat was scheduled to face Chris Gutiérrez on August 3, 2024 at UFC on ABC 7.[22] The bout was moved one week later to August 10 at UFC on ESPN 61.[23] One week before the event, Basharat withdrew due to an injury and was replaced with promotional newcomer Quang Le.[24][25]

Championships and accomplishments

edit
  • Contenders Ltd
    • CON Bantamweight Championship (One time)
      • One successful title defence

Mixed martial arts record

edit
Professional record breakdown
16 matches 14 wins 1 loss
By knockout 5 0
By submission 6 0
By decision 3 1
No contests 1
Res. Record Opponent Method Event Date Round Time Location Notes
Loss 14–1 (1) Aiemann Zahabi Decision (unanimous) UFC Fight Night: Rozenstruik vs. Gaziev March 2, 2024 3 5:00 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
NC 14–0 (1) Victor Henry No Contest (accidental groin kick) UFC 294 October 21, 2023 2 0:15 Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates An accidental groin kick rendered Henry unable to continue.
Win 14–0 Mateus Mendonça Decision (unanimous) UFC Fight Night: Strickland vs. Imavov January 14, 2023 3 5:00 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win 13–0 Tony Gravely Decision (unanimous) UFC Fight Night: Sandhagen vs. Song September 17, 2022 3 5:00 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win 12–0 Trevin Jones Decision (unanimous) UFC Fight Night: Santos vs. Ankalaev March 12, 2022 3 5:00 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
Win 11–0 Oron Kahlon Submission (guillotine choke) Dana White's Contender Series 45 October 26, 2021 3 4:12 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Catchweight (139 lb) bout; Kahlon missed weight.
Win 10–0 Alexander Bezkorovayny Submission (brabo choke) Oktagon 19 December 5, 2020 2 4:44 Brno, Czech Republic
Win 9–0 Nicolas Savio TKO (doctor stoppage) Contenders Norwich 29 February 15, 2020 1 N/A Norwich, England Defended the CON Bantamweight Championship.
Win 8–0 Wisam Mamoka TKO (punches) FightStar Championship 18 July 6, 2019 1 0:51 London, England Return to Bantamweight.
Win 7–0 John Spencer TKO (punches) UCMMA 59 May 11, 2019 1 1:50 London, England Featherweight debut.
Win 6–0 Ricardo Morais Submission (rear-naked choke) UCMMA 57 November 10, 2018 1 3:01 London, England
Win 5–0 Julien Bouteix Submission (rear-naked choke) Contenders Norwich 23 April 28, 2018 1 3:22 Norwich, England Won the CON Bantamweight Championship.
Win 4–0 Tony Hall Submission (guillotine choke) BAMMA 31 September 15, 2017 2 1:42 London, England
Win 3–0 Oleksandr Bilobrovaka TKO (punches) Celtic Gladiator 12 May 20, 2017 1 1:33 Grays, England
Win 2–0 Ionut Raducanu Submission (heel hook) UCMMA 48 September 6, 2016 1 N/A Romford, England
Win 1–0 Gino Kroes TKO (elbows) Rise of Champions 2 April 23, 2016 1 1:58 Romford, England Bantamweight debut.

[26]

See also

edit

References

edit
  1. ^ "Stats | UFC". ufcstats.com.
  2. ^ Goyder, James. "Javid Basharat: 'I hope Afghanistan is proud of me'!". AsianMMA.
  3. ^ a b Sherdog.com. "Sherdog Prospect Watch: Javid Basharat". Sherdog. Retrieved 2023-10-22.
  4. ^ "Javid Basharat: 'He's Never Fought Anybody Like Me' | UFC". www.ufc.com. 2023-10-18. Retrieved 2023-10-22.
  5. ^ Morgan, John; Hathaway, Ken (27 October 2021). "Javid Basharat says 'terrorist' taunt didn't add to disrespect: 'The guy signed to beat me up in front of my family'". MMAjunkie.com.
  6. ^ Martin, Damon (Oct 25, 2021). "Oron Kahlon calls Afghani fighter Javid Basharat 'terrorist' in ugly moment during Contender Series weigh-ins". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 2024-01-14.
  7. ^ "Dana White's Contender Series 45 faceoff turns ugly with 'terrorist' taunt". MMA Junkie. October 25, 2021. Retrieved 2024-01-14.
  8. ^ "Oron Kahlon misses weight, calls Javid Basharat a terrorist". Asian MMA. October 26, 2021. Retrieved 2024-01-14.
  9. ^ Marrocco, Steven (2021-10-26). "DWCS video: Javid Basharat slices up, submits Oron Kahlon in third round". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 2023-05-05.
  10. ^ Dawson, Alan (Oct 27, 2021). "An Afghan MMA fighter choked the opponent who called him a 'terrorist,' impressed Dana White, and won a UFC contract". Business Insider. Retrieved 2024-01-14.
  11. ^ "Javid Basharat faces Trevin Jones on March 12th". Asian MMA. 2021-12-06. Retrieved 2023-05-05.
  12. ^ Bitter, Shawn (2022-03-12). "UFC Vegas 50: Javid Basharat Wins Debut Against Trevin Jones". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2023-05-05.
  13. ^ "UFC books Javid Basharat vs. Tony Gravely for Sept. 17 event". MMA Junkie. 2022-08-10. Retrieved 2023-05-05.
  14. ^ Anderson, Jay (2022-09-17). "UFC Vegas 60: Javid Basharat Passes Test Against Tony Gravely". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2023-05-05.
  15. ^ "Javid Basharat faces Mateus Mendonça at UFC Vegas 67". Asian MMA. 2022-12-15. Retrieved 2023-05-05.
  16. ^ Dewar, Val (2023-01-14). "UFC Vegas 67: Javid Basharat Stays Undefeated with Decision Over Mateus Mendonça". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2023-05-05.
  17. ^ "Javid Basharat faces Victor Henry at UFC Vegas 79". Asian MMA. 2023-08-11. Retrieved 2023-08-11.
  18. ^ "Javid Basharat and Victor Henry rebooked for UFC 294". Asian MMA. 2023-09-16. Retrieved 2023-09-30.
  19. ^ Theodosi, Jamie (2023-10-21). "UFC 294: Javid Basharat vs. Victor Henry Fizzles, No Contest Results from Groin Strike". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2023-10-21.
  20. ^ "Four fights added to inaugural UFC Saudi Arabia fight card". MMA Junkie. 2024-01-12. Retrieved 2024-01-13.
  21. ^ Jay Anderson (2024-03-02). "UFC Vegas 87: Aiemann Zahabi Serves Up First Loss of Javid Basharat's Career". casesidepress.com. Retrieved 2024-03-02.
  22. ^ Hester, Bryson (2024-06-19). "UFC Abu Dhabi Adds Chris Gutierrez vs. Javid Basharat". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2024-06-20.
  23. ^ Drake Riggs (2024-07-11). "Morning Report: Anthony Smith sad UFC 303 loss 'probably puts the nail in the coffin' for title hopes - Fight Announcements". mmafighting.com. Retrieved 2024-07-11.
  24. ^ Alexander Behunin (2024-08-05). "Canceled! UFC Vegas 95 loses Bantamweight co-main event". mmamania.com. Retrieved 2024-08-05.
  25. ^ Staff (2024-08-06). "UFC Vegas 95 Hit With Last Minute Cancelations". cagesidepress.com. Retrieved 2024-08-06.
  26. ^ Sherdog.com. "Javid Basharat". Sherdog.
edit