18 October 2023 , 14:30
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UFC star Javid Basharat went viral two years ago for unwanted reasons when he was branded a "terrorist" by his opponent.
Basharat, 28, has since become a breakout prospect in the bantamweight division with three decision wins under his belt against respected competition. 'The Snow Leopard' fights Victor Henry at UFC 294 in Abu Dhabi on Saturday as he looks to extend his unbeaten streak to 15 fights and progress further up the 135lb ladder.
Whilst competing on Dana White's Contender Series in 2021, Afghanistan-born Basharat was subject to a disgusting racial slur from his opponent Oron Khalon. The clip received millions of views on social media as Basharat produced a one-sided beatdown against Khalon that impressed UFC boss White and earned him a contract with the promotion.
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Reflecting on the clip almost exactly two years to the date, Basharat told Mirror Fighting: "Unfortunately that was the case, he did say it but fortunately for me I dealt with it in a way that went viral. That could have happened and if I lost, nobody would have said much about it. The way I beat him wasn't a normal beating, every round was 10-7 until I looked at the clock and got the finish.
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"That's why that went viral and it's good that went viral because that way people can see the other side. You never hear the other side of fighting where people have their own personal agendas. At the end of the day, we get to solve it in the cage. Why it went viral is such a controversial topic, it was a racist slur.
"People got really angry about it which made me happy because nowadays you can say things and nobody really cares too much. Especially for our side of the world, this region. When you say anything about an Afghani or a Palestinian, nobody really cares about it. The fact that the world did care about it at that moment, it made me happy because that shows people they have their morals in check."
Basharat, who trains out of Xtreme Couture in Las Vegas, welcomed his brother Farid to the UFC earlier this year as he also earned a contract with the promotion after winning on the Contender Series. Farid has since gone 2-0 and is expected to be in his brother's corner against Henry on Saturday.