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Farid Basharat Knows He Belongs Here Now
Farid Basharat Hopes A Big Win Over A Veteran Of The Sport At UFC Fight Night: Walker vs Ankalaev 2 Earns Himself Even More Validation After A Successful Rookie Campaign
For the casual fan, they might find it a little difficult to remember which Basharat brother is which and, to be fair, it’s understandable. They’re only a couple years apart in age, they both earned contracts via Dana White’s Contender Series in year-long span, they both compete in the bantamweight division, and they both boast unbeaten records. Farid, the younger brother of Javid, says they are the “elephant in the room” nobody in the division wants to talk about. His first year on the roster bolstered that claim as he picked up a decision win over Da’Mon Blackshear and a first-round submission over Kleydson Rodrigues.
After a 2-0 rookie season, Basharat felt validation. Although neither Basharat brother is short on confidence, getting that first finish in the Octagon helped cement his worthiness of competing at the highest level.
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“I really do belong here,” Basharat told UFC.com. “That was the main (lesson). Now, it's about just rising up the ranks. I really am as good as I thought I was. When you enter in the beginning, you're confident, but there's doubts as you get a couple of wins — and my brother's also getting a bunch of wins. It just kind of made me realize I really am as good as the work I've been putting in and as good as I thought I was.”
Basharat doubled down on that feeling in his post-fight interview after submitting Rodrigues, saying he believes he would beat current bantamweight champion “Suga” Sean O’Malley if they stood across from each other sooner rather than later. He conceded the fact that he has plenty to work on himself, but styles make fights, and Basharat sees himself as someone who matches well with his fellow DWCS-alumnus.
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That confidence doesn’t just come from his results, however. Since coming to Las Vegas to train at Xtreme Couture, Basharat is regularly in the room with a large roster of UFC veterans from middleweight champion Sean Strickland to the hard-hitting, tough-as-nails featherweight Dan Ige. Getting high-level tests each and every day allows Basharat to see the gains he is making as he embarks on the early chapters of his career.
“I really do train with the best guys on the planet,” Basharat said. “When I start to see how I perform against these guys in the training room, when I'm depleted, when I'm tired and stressed, fight night, when I'm full of food and full of rest, it almost is a lot easier than fight camp. Fight camps are where I really realize how much I'm improving.”
For his third UFC fight, Basharat gets his most-seasoned assignment yet in the form of Taylor Lapilus, who made a successful return to the roster with a victory in Paris the same day Basharat picked up his submission win over Rodrigues.
Lapilus, who racked up a 3-1 record in his initial 18-month stint on the roster in the mid-2010s, is someone who Basharat had on his radar from the beginning. When “Double Impact” made his Octagon debut in 2015, Basharat was just getting his feet wet in the sport.
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“I think he's legit,” Basharat said. “He's formidable, composed, experienced. He's been around the game for a long time. Being from Europe and him being from Europe, I've known him from the European scene for a long time. That's why I'm so excited. He is definitely my toughest opponent to date. At the same time, I just I have so much confidence in myself. I think I'm really too much for him.”
“Ferocious” sees a win over Lapilus as the result that will get him the “stamp of approval” from his peers. When he talks about career trajectory, he almost always says “we” referring to he and Javid simultaneously. Beating Lapilus would likely stand as the biggest win either brother has earned, and while most will see that as a feather in Farid’s cap, he believes it’s a credit to them both.
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For an undefeated fighter with a unique experience of having a fellow undefeated fighter as a brother, Farid isn’t just some 26-year-old who feels invincible. He portrays a great understanding for the way the sport works and the work required to climb up the ladder of one of the deepest divisions going at present. While he doesn’t feel like he or his brother have earned that respect from future opponents just yet, January 13 represents another big step toward that.
“When I fight, I always think about winning first, and then I'm thinking about the finish,” Basharat said. “I think I've got pretty exciting style in general. The finish is never too far away.”
UFC Fight Night: Ankalaev vs Walker 2 took placelive from the UFC APEX in Las Vegas on January 13, 2024. See the Final Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC Fight Pass!
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