Bantamweights Chris Gutierrez and Farid Basharat faced off early on Saturday’s UFC 320 preliminary card.
Gutierrez, a Factory X product, was now a veteran of the promotion, after joining the UFC back in 2018. American Top Team’s Basharat was a more recent addition to the roster, winning on DWCS in 2022 and making his big league debut the following year.
There was a bit of a feeling out process in Gutierrez vs. Bashrat, but just as the crowd started to get restless. Basharat landed an explosive takdedown. That left Gutierrez seated against the fence, with Basharat soon flattening his opponent out, pointing him away from the octagon wall. Basharat would ride out the round on top, though he wasn’t able to inflict much damage with the position.
Round two opened with another slow-paced chess match on the feet, with Gutierrez perhaps concerned about the takedown. Gutierrez would still attempt the odd spinning attack, but those were sailing wide. Basharat had better success with his hands, though by the final minute, he had not taken the fight back to the mat. A clinch against the fence went nowhere; they broke and moved back to center.
Round three started out at a quick pace; when they clinched up, it was Gutierrez scoring a trip, briefly getting Basharat down. That didn’t last; he’d chop at Basharat’s day back on the feet, but the sudden surge in momentum had waned. Another ground sequence saw the pair go down, but this time it was Gutierrez in control after Basharat was too far up the back. They’d end up back on the feet for the final minute, Basharat still pressuring, moving forward.
While it was Gutierrez’s best round, it wasn’t enough to win the fight — that honor went to Farid Basharat. He’s now 5-0 under the UFC banner, knocking at the door of the top 15.
Official Result: Farid Basharat def. Chris Gutierrez by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
