Following the news of his arrest in Thailand, the UFC has canceled a fight featuring Khusein Askhabov.
According to a report in the Phuket News in Thailand, Askhabov and his twin brother, Khasan Askhabov, were arrested nearly a week ago in relation to an alleged kidnapping and robbery of an Italian man.
“UFC is aware of the recent arrest and allegations regarding Khusein Askhabov,” the UFC said in a statement. “The organization will continue to gather additional details regarding the incident. UFC will allow the legal process to play out before making any additional statements, however, his scheduled fight on Oct. 7 has been canceled.”
Askhabov (23-1 MMA, 0-1 UFC) was set to fight Daniel Pineda (28-15 MMA, 5-6 UFC) in a featherweight bout at the UFC’s Oct. 7 Fight Night event in Las Vegas.
A police report, the Phuket News posted, said the alleged victim was robbed of expensive watches including a Rolex, Apple computers and iPhones and $43,000 in cash. But the publication also reported the Askhabov brothers were not among three men who allegedly blindfolded, bound and gagged the man.
Askhabov is from Chechnya, but trains in Thailand. He made his UFC debut earlier this year and dropped a unanimous decision to Jamall Emmers. It was the first loss of his pro career after a 22-0 start. He was supposed to debut in the UFC in August 2021, but had visa issues. Then he pulled out of a fight in July 2022.
After his loss to Emmers, he was booked against David Onama in June, but pulled out. A booking a month later against Joanderson Brito was missed, too, due to an injury withdrawal. The cancellation of the Pineda fight means Askhabov has had six UFC fights booked in two years, but has only made one walk to the cage.
His brother Khasan, also a fighter, had two Bellator fights booked in 2022. He pulled out of the first, then never weighed in for the second. A promotion official confirmed to MMA Junkie he’s not a member of Bellator’s roster.
