Farid Basharat looks set to make his UFC debut on one of the biggest cards of the year. The Afghan has been booked to face Da’Mon Blackshear at the T-Mobile Arena on March 4th.
Basharat (9-0) came to prominence after winning on Dana White’s Contender Series and was subsequently signed by the UFC. His first fight inside the octagon will be on a pay per view event at UFC 285.
His brother, Javid Basharat, also fights for the UFC and is undefeated. They were both born in Afghanistan and came to England as refugees before going on to become successful mixed martial artists.
He has been booked to face Blackshear (12-4-1) who made his UFC debut in August. The American fought to a majority draw with Youssef Zalal after taking that contest at very short notice.
Prior to that he was the reigning CFFC bantamweight champion and had also challenged unsuccessfully for the Titan FC 135lbs strap. The American wrestled in high school and eight of his wins have come by way of some sort of choke.
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Double champion
UFC 285 doesn’t currently have a headliner but it is expected that Henry Cejudo will make his comeback on this card. He was the reigning flyweight and bantamweight champion when he decided to retire from the sport after being unable to settle a contract dispute.
Cejudo (16-2) has not fought since 2020 but is on a six fight winning streak that saw him capture two UFC titles. Since retirement he has become a successful coach, working with the likes of Demetrious Johnson and Weili Zhang.
He will be challenging for the bantamweight title. It is currently the property of Aljamain Sterling who is coming off back to back wins over Petr Yan.
There is also speculation that this card could be the one that Jon Jones (26-1-0-1) makes his comeback on. The former light heavyweight champion is moving up to heavyweight to challenge Francis Ngannou (17-3).
If Jones does end up headlining the card then it really would be one of the biggest pay per view events of the year. It is a big stage for Basharat and he will be hoping to make a big impression on his UFC debut.
UFC 285, Las Vegas, March 4th
Jessica Penne vs. Tabatha Ricci (Strawweight)
Da’Mon Blackshear vs. Farid Basharat (Bantamweight)
Amanda Ribas vs. Viviane Araújo (Flyweight)
