SUMMARY
- Farid Basharat is all set to face Taylor Lapilus on the undercard of UFC Vegas 84.
- The ongoing flag ban means that the Muslim fighter will not be allowed to carry his country's flag.
The UFC is all set to kick off 2024 with UFC Vegas 84 on January 13. For the most part, fans are very eager to witness some action once again after the long off-season. However, despite its return, some fighters are not too keen on the ongoing flag ban.
For those unaware, Farid Basharat is all set to face Taylor Lapilus on the undercard of UFC Vegas 84. Owing to his 2-0 start in the UFC and an unblemished 11-0 professional record, Basharat is very excited for the fight. Unfortunately, despite the occasion, the bantamweight prospect feels disappointed at not being able to bring out the Afghan flag with him.
Farid Basharat doubts UFC will OK carrying Afghanistan flag despite new rule from Dana White
Full story: https://t.co/jfot2GxMB4 pic.twitter.com/RSqPiAZgxk
— MMA Fighting (@MMAFighting) January 4, 2024
Speaking to MMA Fighting, Basharat revealed, “I would love to walk out with the flag, but I don’t think they’re allowing the Afghanistan flag. Not the Afghanistan flag.” Further, he added, “We tried in Abu Dhabi for Javid, and they said no. Because they don’t recognize the current government flag, and the old one is not an official flag. So what flag are you going to bring out? The Afghanistan flag I still a no-no”.
Notably, Farid believes that the ongoing flag ban means that he will not be allowed to carry his country’s flag. Training out of England alongside his brother Javid, he reveals that his elder brother was denied the request during his UFC 294 fight against Victor Henry. However, there was an additional reason for that. With news that the flag ban was lifted, Farid’s statements might seem confusing to some.
The UFC flag ban was previously revoked by Dana White
Previously, Marlon ‘Chito’ Vera revealed that he was not allowed to bear the Ecuadorian flag. Ahead of UFC 274, the bantamweight contender revealed that the new ruling was set to be imposed by the UFC. Presumably, this was meant to be a cautionary measure due to the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict in 2022.
With that said UFC President Dana White announced that the ban would be lifted after Noche UFC in 2023. Speaking in the press conference, White declared, “Yeah, flags are back. Yeah, I was on vacation um during the Mexican Independence Day and the ‘No Flag’ thing drove me crazy and I was like yeah f*ck that we’re bringing flags back I was like that’s enough. I’m done with the ‘No Flags’ so flags are back if any flags hurt your feelings too f*cking bad”.
Dana White confirms the flag ban is over in the UFC.
“If any flag hurts your feelings, too fuc*ing bad.” #UFCVegas80 #DanaWhite #MMATwitter #MMA pic.twitter.com/CUvBz8fgGZ
— MMA UNCENSORED (@MMAUNCENSORED1) October 8, 2023
Thus, UFC Vegas 80 became the first event after the ban to allow fighters to bear flags again. Naturally, it is a common practice for fighters to carry the flags of their homeland, as it fills them with a sense of pride and patriotism.
Notably, Afghanistan, now led by the Taliban, introduced a new flag in 2021. As such, the new Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan has a different flag from the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan. Since this new governance is yet to be globally recognized, the UFC is hesitant with its stance.
For the most part, Farid and Javid Basharat are not the only fighters facing flag issues despite the uplifted ban. UFC middleweight Edmen Shahbazyan was also embroiled in controversy for representing the Republic of Artsakh. A breakaway state that was previously internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan would eventually go on to collapse. Thus, it is likely that the UFC is waiting to see how things transpire in Afghanistan.