Javid Basharat Outpointed Late Replacement Vazquez
Javid Basharat defeated Gianni Vazquez by unanimous decision on February 7, 2026, at the Meta APEX in Las Vegas. All three judges returned 29–28 after Basharat negotiated a difficult middle round and used grappling to regain control.
The matchup and opening exchanges
Vazquez accepted the assignment on short notice after Said Nurmagomedov withdrew. He weighed 141 pounds, above the bantamweight allowance, while Basharat registered 135.5 for the modified matchup.
Basharat entered looking to recover from defeats to Aiemann Zahabi and Ricky Simon. His new opponent brought a four-fight winning streak, giving the replacement contest significance beyond simply keeping Basharat on the card.
How the contest developed
Body and leg kicks helped Basharat find his range in the first round. A right-hand counter produced a knockdown and gave him a clear scoring moment before the fight became more difficult.
Vazquez hurt Basharat with a right hand in the second but could not finish the opportunity. Basharat recovered sufficiently to complete a single-leg takedown, advance to mount and land elbows from above.
The official outcome
Vazquez continued combining attacks to the body and head in the third. Basharat answered with repeated takedowns and finished the round in control, helping secure the unanimous result. The victory ended his losing run while denying the newcomer a successful debut.
Sources
- UFC: official results and scorecards
- UFC: official weigh-in results
- Cageside Press: fight report
Article Tags
Javid Basharat, Gianni Vazquez, UFC, MMA
