UFC Fighter Askhabov and his twin brother Khasan Askhabov were reportedly detained about a week ago in connection with the suspected kidnapping and theft of an Italian man in Thailand.
The UFC issued a statement saying, “UFC is aware of the recent arrest and allegations surrounding Khusein Askhabov. “The group will keep compiling further details about the occurrence. His scheduled bout on October 7 has been cancelled, and UFC will wait for the legal process to conclude before making any further statements.
At the UFC’s Oct. 7 Fight Night event in Las Vegas, Askhabov (23-1 MMA, 0-1 UFC) was scheduled to compete in a featherweight match against Daniel Pineda (28-15 MMA, 5-6 UFC).
According to a police investigation, the claimed victim was robbed of high-end watches, including a Rolex, Apple laptops and iPhones, as well as $43,000 in cash, according to the Phuket News. The magazine, however, also claimed that the Askhabov brothers were not one of the three guys who had supposedly shackled, gagged, and put glasses on the victim.
Although Askhabov is from Chechnya, he trains there. He lost a unanimous decision to Jamall Emmers in his UFC debut earlier this year. After a 22-0 start, it was his first loss in the professional ranks. He experienced visa complications and was unable to make his UFC debut in August 2021. Then, in July 2022, he backed out of a battle.
He was scheduled to face David Onama in June following his defeat to Emmers, but he resigned. A month later, a booking against Joanderson Brito was also overlooked because of a withdrawal due to injury. Askhabov has six UFC fights planned for the past two years, but only one of them saw him enter the ring due to the cancellation of the Pineda match.
Two Bellator matches between his brother Khasan and another fighter were scheduled for 2022. He withdrawn from the first contest before declining to weigh in for the second. He is not on Bellator’s roster, a promotion official confirmed to MMA Mania.