Farid Basharat Kept His Unbeaten Record Against Matsumoto
Farid Basharat defeated Jean Matsumoto by split decision on February 7, 2026, at the Meta APEX in Las Vegas. Two judges scored the bantamweight contest 29–28 for Basharat, while the third preferred Matsumoto by the same margin.
An unbeaten prospect faced another demanding assignment
Basharat made the bantamweight allowance at 136 pounds, while Matsumoto weighed 135.5. Their main-card meeting followed Basharat’s unanimous-decision victory over Chris Gutierrez in October 2025.
The matchup required three completed rounds rather than producing an early finish. Matsumoto remained competitive enough to earn one official’s overall preference, making the final verdict more divided than a unanimous result.
Striking and wrestling both contributed
Basharat opened a cut with an elbow and combined technical striking with timely wrestling. Those different phases gave him ways to score when extended exchanges did not clearly separate the fighters.
Matsumoto had productive moments of his own, ensuring Basharat could not simply coast through the assignment. The decisive question became which fighter had done enough across the individual rounds.
A split verdict preserved the streak
The decision improved Basharat’s professional record to 15–0 and gave him six UFC victories. Maintaining that unbeaten run required negotiating a close contest rather than recording a dominant stoppage.
The official cards all read 29–28, but their differing winners reflected how narrowly the rounds could be assessed. Basharat left with the victory, while Matsumoto completed the distance and took one judge’s card against an undefeated opponent.
Sources
- UFC: official results and scorecards
- UFC: official weights
- UFC: main-card report
- UFC: Farid Basharat profile
Article Tags
Farid Basharat, Jean Matsumoto, UFC, MMA
