UFC drops Khusein Askhabov vs. Daniel Pineda after Askhabov was arrested in Thailand
Following news of his arrest in Thailand, the UFC canceled a fight Khusein Askhabov.
According to a report in the Phuket News in Thailand, Askhabov and his twin brother, Khasan Askhabovwere arrested almost a week ago in connection with the alleged kidnapping and robbery of an Italian man.
“UFC is aware of the recent arrest and allegations against Khusein Askhabov,” the UFC said in a statement. “The organization will continue to gather further details regarding the incident. UFC will allow the legal process to play out before making further statements, but its scheduled fight on October 7th has been canceled.”
Askhabov (23-1 MMA, 0-1 UFC) was scheduled to face Daniel Pineda (28-15 MMA, 5-6 UFC) in a featherweight bout at the UFC’s Fight Night event on October 7 in Las Vegas.
A police report published by Phuket News said the alleged victim was robbed of expensive watches, including a Rolex, Apple computers and iPhones, as well as $43,000 in cash. However, the publication also reported that the Askhabov brothers were not among the three men who allegedly blindfolded, bound and gagged the man.
Askhabov comes from Chechnya but trains in Thailand. He made his UFC debut earlier this year and dropped a unanimous decision to Jamall Emmers. After a 22-0 start, it was the first loss of his professional career. He was scheduled to make his UFC debut in August 2021 but faced visa issues. Then he withdrew from a fight in July 2022.
After his loss to Emmers, he was booked against David Onama in June but was eliminated. A yellow card a month later against Joanderson Brito was also missed due to an injury layoff. The cancellation of the Pineda fight means Askhabov had six UFC fights booked in two years but only made one trip to the cage.
His brother Khasan, also a fighter, had two Bellator fights booked in 2022. At the first he withdrew, at the second he stopped speaking. A promotion official confirmed to MMA Junkie that he is not a member of Bellator’s roster.
