It has come to light that UFC has canceled Khusein Askhabov’s UFC Vegas 80 fight with Daniel Pineda after a report of his arrest in Thailand on kidnap, torture, and extortion charges after allegedly kidnapping an Italian man in Phuket.
It has been noted that the promotion released a statement on Monday, hours after the release of a report by The Phuket News that said the UFC vet and his twin brother were arrested in connection with an alleged home invasion and robbery on Sept. 3 at a villa in the beachside Thai town.
“UFC is aware of the recent arrest and allegations regarding Khusein Askhabov,” stated the UFC’s press release on its website. 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 October 7 has been canceled.”
It is not known whom Pineda will face at UFC Vegas 80, which takes place Oct. 7 at UFC APEX in Las Vegas.
Khusein Askhabov’s professional MMA journey commenced back in March 2012 and went on a long and dominant winning streak. ‘Nohcho’ entered the UFC after building an impressive 23-0 record in his professional MMA career. ‘Lion’ managed to finish 16 out of those 23 fights – 6 knockouts and 10 submissions.
The 28-year-old made his UFC debut in February 2023 and went up against Jamall Emmers in a featherweight clash. The night did not go well for Askhabov as he ended up losing the contest via unanimous decision. All three judges scored the contest 30-27 in favor of Emmers.
