The UFC cancelled Khusein Askhabov’s fight following his arrest in Thailand on charges of kidnap, torture, and extortion involving an Italian man.
The UFC has made the decision to cancel Khusein Askhabov’s UFC Vegas 80 fight with Daniel Pineda. This decision comes in light of Askhabov’s reported arrest in Thailand for kidnapping, torturing, and extorting an Italian man in Phuket. The event has caused quite a stir, leading to the cancelling of his scheduled match. The specific charges against Askhabov imply an alleged kidnapping of another individual, amidst a range of other severe allegations.
This incident was revealed to the public just hours after the release of a report by The Phuket News on Monday. The publication disclosed that Askhabov and his twin brother had been apprehended in relation to an alleged robbery and home invasion that occurred on September 3 at a beachside villa in the Thai town. The UFC, in turn, confirmed their awareness of these happenings via a release on their official website. The statement proclaimed that while they will continue to collect more information about the incident, the UFC will wait for the legal proceedings to conclude before making any further declarations on the matter. In the meantime, they announced the cancellation of Askhabov’s fight which was due to happen on October 7.
As of now, no information has been released about who will replace Askhabov in his bout against Pineda at UFC Vegas 80 on October 7 at UFC APEX in Las Vegas. The fighter, originally from Kazakhstan, was slated to be featuring in his second octagon stint following a debut setback against Jamall Emmers at UFC Vegas 69 in February. According to The Phuket News, the arrest seemingly followed a warrant issued on September 4 which accused Askhabov and his twin brother, Khasan, along with another Kazak national of executing the aforementioned break-in. The trio allegedly stole items worth 12 million Thai bhat or around $337,881, including luxury watches, Apple products, passport, and debit card, from the Italian victim’s residence.
The media report elaborated on the horrific happenings, revealing that the alleged thieves assailed the Italian man while he was asleep, tying him up and gagging him. Over several hours, he was reportedly beaten and interrogated, with some unknown individual allegedly offering them information about his valuables and communicating with thieves throughout the robbery. The victim sustained severe bruising and contusions from the assault, but managed to escape after his attackers left his residence. Following the incident, the assailants were reported to have boarded a flight from Phuket to Dubai on September 4, the day after the alleged attack.