Farid Basharat competing at UFC 329 on final contract fight

Undefeated bantamweight Farid Basharat will step into the octagon at UFC 329 on July 11 with no guarantee he'll compete for the promotion again.

The 28-year-old Afghan fighter holds the division's longest active win streak at six consecutive UFC victories, yet he's fighting out his contract with no new deal in place. MMA Fighting reports that Basharat was originally slated to face rising prospect Ethyn Ewing before an injury forced Ewing off the card. The promotion told Basharat to take the fight first, then discuss a new contract afterward.

Basharat's brother already cut after contract expired

The stakes became clearer after what happened to Basharat's brother Javid, who won his final contracted bout against Gianni Vazquez in February only to see the UFC decline to offer him a new deal. "It's a gamble," Basharat told MMA Fighting. "If it were up to me, I'd re-sign straight away because ultimately the UFC is where everybody wants to be."

Basharat said he discussed the situation with manager Ali Abdelaziz and remains confident a strong showing on one of the year's biggest cards will force the promotion's hand. His perfect 15-0 record includes wins over increasingly difficult opponents, and he'll turn 29 before the end of the year.

Rather than fixate on the uncertainty, Basharat is focused on his preparation. "My whole mentality is control what you can control," he said. "If it's not in my hands, why worry about it?"

The UFC has not announced a replacement opponent following Ewing's withdrawal.

Photo: Sgt. Christian Brown / Wikimedia Commons, Public domain

Original reporting:

• mmafighting.com — Farid Basharat reveals he’s competing at UFC 329 on final fight of his contract: ‘It’s a gamble’ | MMA Fighting