After fighting his brother Javid previously on the card, Farid Basarat was next at UFC Vegas 113, taking on Jean Matsumoto in bantamweight action.
Basharat remained a perfect 14-0 in MMA to start the night, picking up a win over Chris Gutierrez. Matsumoto was 3-1 under the UFC banner, with his only loss coming to Rob Font. He recovered from that setback with a win against Miles Johns.
Matsumoto applied pressure early in the first round and almost ran into a spinning backfist from Basharat. A good straight right hand landed from Basharat, with Matsumoto initiating the clinch. Blood leaked down his face. Matsumoto had a significant cut under his right eye. Basharat shot a takedown of his own, but was stuffed into the clinch by Matsumoto and reversed. With a minute left in the round, Matsumoto landed a takedown, but Basharat quickly got back to his feet. This was a very competitive round between two world class competitors. Basharat landed a straight left hand with ten seconds left that might have done the round.
In the second inning, Matsumoto again pushed the fight to the fence, but was quickly reversed. Basharat separated and returned to the center of the cage, where he landed a solid shot that caused Matsumoto to backpedal. The gash on Matsumoto had reopened from the previous round, but he continued to march forward. Matsumoto forced the fight to the fence, hoping for a transition to back control. After a takedown, Matsumoto became overly aggressive on the ground and Basharat reversed the position to get on top. This was a high-paced fight between two of the UFC’s best unranked fighters. With a minute left, Matsumoto fired in another takedown and landed it short against the fence. Twenty seconds in, Matsumoto landed a solid knee-right combination before the round ended.
Since the fight was potentially one round apiece, each fighter’s corner explained that they needed the third round to win. Matsumoto landed a good combination to start the third before transitioning to the clinch. A well-timed takedown from Basharat put him on top with three minutes to go. Both fighters scrambled to their feet and exchanged a few kicks. Matsumoto landed a good straight right hand, but looked worse due to wear and tear from his cut. Exchanging shots in the pocket, each fighter threw caution to the wind in the final minute. Matsumoto marched forward looking for a takedown and locked one against the cage. Matsumoto scored several big shots during halftime, but then Basharat provided his own takedown.
A masterpiece of a fight that showcased technical skill and physical strength went to the judges’ scorecards, with differing opinions online. The judges had this fight a split decision, with Sal D’mato the vote going to Basharat. By going undefeated, Farid moved his UFC record to 6-0 with the win. Basharat called out a top ten opponent in his next fight, eyeing former flyweight champion Deiveson Figuereido. With his brother winning earlier on the card, it was a successful evening for the Basharat brothers.
Official result: Farid Basharat final. Jean Matsumoto by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
#UFC #Vegas #Farid #Basharat #takes #limited #decision #Jean #Matsumoto