What is Farid Basharat’s ethnicity and religion? All about the UFC fighter's religion and background

Farid Basharat is easily one of the UFC's fast-rising contenders. Entering Dana White's Contender Series 2022 undefeated, the 28-year-old fetched his ticket to the big leagues with a unanimous decision over Allan Begosso.

He has since racked up a four-fight win streak, three at bantamweight and one at featherweight, in the world's premier MMA promotion and is now set to take on Chris Guitierez in a featherweight bout at UFC 320 on Oct. 4.

A win this weekend against Guitierez could land 'Ferocious' a ranked opponent in his next outing.

Basharat's journey to the MMA spotlight, however, was a herculean endeavor that began in a war-torn Afghanistan.

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What is Farid Basharat’s ethnicity and religion?

Farid Basharat and his brother Javid, also a UFC fighter, were born in the Paktia province in eastern Afghanistan. His family fled from the war-torn country, later relocating to Britain when he was just three years old.

According to Javid's interview with talkSport, the brothers experienced a cultural shock in the European nation and had a tough time adapting to their school system and the new environment.

He remembers struggling in school, not knowing the language, which resulted in him having a lot of scuffles. This made their father enroll both him and Farid in taekwondo, so that the brothers could let off some steam.

MMA quickly piqued the brothers as they began wondering how they'd fare against the best grapplers and boxers. And once they saw the UFC, it was a no-brainer for the pair to make the transition.

Interestingly, since both brothers started their UFC careers as bantamweights, many have wondered if they'd consider fighting each other. However, a devout Muslim, Farid Basharat, has already shut down such rumors.

Speaking to the Daily Star last year, 'Ferocious' pointed to a similar situation in 2023, when former bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling and his friend and reigning champion Merab Dvalishvili refused to fight each other, while sharing his perspective:

"I respect it and especially the reasoning behind it, Aljamain said some things are more important than money, and as a Muslim, I'm a firm believer that some things are more important than money and fighting... Me and Javid are brothers, and it's not even in the picture." [H/t Daily Star]

About the author

Ujwal Jain is a sports journalist who covers MMA at Sportskeeda and holds a bachelor's degree in mass communication and journalism. He has been practicing martial arts from an early age and won several accolades at national-level competitions in karate and Taekwondo. He also holds a back belt in karate. Ujwal loves fact-checking, helping out with related research, and being a fresh set of eyes for fellow writers’ articles.

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