In a perfect example of the term ‘sibling rivalry’, Farid Basharat and his older brother Javid Basharat both signed with the UFC a few weeks from each other. Both men came into the promotion off of Dana White Contender Series wins’. But what makes their case so interesting is that both compete in the same bantamweight division. Both brothers, like all fighters in the UFC, want to become champions. And that means at some point they may have to fight each other.

Khabib Nurmagomedov and his Dagestani contingent, of course, do not even fight their teammates, let alone their family members. But if the Basharat brothers do want to fulfill their dream of holding gold, there is one very interesting question that needs to be answered. If they are indeed offered a fight by the UFC, will they agree to fight each other? We do not know the answer to this question, but it has added a very interesting sub-plot in the UFC’s bantamweight division. For now, let us look at what we do know about Farid.

Where is Farid Basharat from? Ethnicity and nationality

Javid Basharat was born in the province of Paktia in Afghanistan in 1997 at a very tumultuous time in the country’s history. At that time, the landlocked country had just concluded a bloody civil war which resulted in the first Taliban regime. As a result of the conflict, it seems his family went as refugees first to Pakistan. From there they went to England as refugees and have lived in the country ever since. It was in these refugee camps that the brothers spent their formative years.

His martial arts journey began mostly because of his brother, as we will see later. But by the time Farid was twelve, he had already started training in Taekwondo. A decade of martial arts training later, Farid followed in his brother’s footsteps yet again and made his pro-MMA debut.

Immediately, the Afghanistan native went on a tear, racking up a perfect 8-0 record with five finishes. This earned him a call-up to Dana White‘s Contender Series in September 2022, where he finished Alan Begosso to earn a well-deserved spot on the UFC roster. And none of this perhaps would have been possible without his brother.

All we know about Farid’s brother Javid Basharat

Javid Basharat was thirteen when Afghan athlete Rohullah Nikpai won a bronze medal in Taekwondo at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. This was a matter of national pride since it was Afghanistan’s first-ever medal at the Olympics. And this moment turned out to be momentous not only for the country but also for Javid.

He knew immediately what he wanted to do with his life. His parents were quite supportive of their son’s enthusiasm for martial arts. They got him and his brother enrolled in a taekwondo dojo shortly after, and this started them on the road that would lead them to the biggest combat sports promotion in the world.

Like Farid, Javid came into the UFC undefeated. But unlike his still-undefeated brother, Javid lost his perfect record against Aiemann Zahabi at their Fight Night clash in March 2024. What are your thoughts on the Basharat brothers’ journey to the UFC?