Tag: Khusein Askhabov

UFC scraps Khusein Askhabov vs. Daniel Pineda after Askhabov’s arrest in Thailand

Following the news of his arrest in Thailand, the UFC has canceled a fight featuring Khusein Askhabov.

Following the news of his arrest in Thailand, the UFC has canceled a fight featuring [autotag]Khusein Askhabov[/autotag].

According to a report in the Phuket News in Thailand, Askhabov and his twin brother, [autotag]Khasan Askhabov[/autotag], 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.

Matchup Roundup: New UFC and Bellator fights announced in the past week (Aug. 14-20)

All the UFC and Bellator fight announcements that were first reported or confirmed by MMA Junkie in the past week.

MMA fight announcements are hard to follow. With so many outlets and channels available, it’s nearly impossible to organize.

But here at MMA Junkie, we’ve got your back.

Each week, we’ll compile all the newly surfaced fights in one spot. Every Monday, expect a feature listing everything you might have missed from the UFC or Bellator.

Here are the fight announcements that were broken or confirmed by MMA Junkie or officially announced by a promotion from Aug. 14-20.

UFC books Daniel Pineda vs. Khusein Askhabov for October

Featherweights are set for the UFC Apex in Las Vegas as Khusein Askhabov battles Daniel Pineda.

A featherweight fight has been booked for the UFC Fight Night event Oct. 7.

One-fight UFC alum [autotag]Khusein Askhabov[/autotag] will face 12-fight veteran [autotag]Daniel Pineda[/autotag] a the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

Two people with knowledge of the matchup recently informed MMA Junkie of the booking but asked to remain anonymous as the promotion has yet to make an official announcement.

Askhabov (23-1 MMA, 0-1 UFC) came up short in his solo UFC bout to date, a unanimous decision loss to Jamall Emmers in February. The biggest struggle for the Chechen has been making it to the cage. Three times he’s withdrawn from UFC matchups due to injury or visa issues.

Pineda (28-15 MMA, 5-6 UFC) is a seasoned veteran with UFC, Bellator, and PFL experience. Since he returned to the UFC for a second stint in 2020, Pineda is 2-2 with one no contest in five appearances. He most recently competed in June when he lost to Alex Caceres in a three-round Fight of the Night brawl.

With the addition, the UFC Fight Night lineup for Oct. 7 includes:

  • Drew Dober vs. Ricky Glenn
  • Chris Gutierrez vs. Montel Jackson
  • Bill Algeo vs. Alexander Hernandez
  • Vanessa Demopolous vs. Kanaka Murata
  • Johnny Munoz vs. Aori Qileng
  • Nate Maness vs. Mateus Mendonca
  • Khusein Askhabov vs. Daniel Pineda

Matchup Roundup: New UFC and Bellator fights announced in the past week (June 19-25)

All the UFC and Bellator fight announcements that were first reported or confirmed by MMA Junkie in the past week.

MMA fight announcements are hard to follow. With so many outlets and channels available, it’s nearly impossible to organize.

But here at MMA Junkie, we’ve got your back.

Each week, we’ll compile all the newly surfaced fights in one spot. Every Monday, expect a feature listing everything you might have missed from the UFC or Bellator.

Here are the fight announcements that were broken or confirmed by MMA Junkie or officially announced by a promotion from June 19-25.

Matchup Roundup: New UFC and Bellator fights announced in the past week (April 17-23)

All the UFC and Bellator fight announcements that were first reported or confirmed by MMA Junkie in the past week.

MMA fight announcements are hard to follow. With so many outlets and channels available, it’s nearly impossible to organize.

But here at MMA Junkie, we’ve got your back.

Each week, we’ll compile all the newly surfaced fights in one spot. Every Monday, expect a feature listing everything you might have missed from the UFC or Bellator.

Here are the fight announcements that were broken or confirmed by MMA Junkie from April 17-23.

Matchup Roundup: New UFC and Bellator fights announced in the past week (March 20-26)

All the UFC and Bellator fight announcements that were first reported or confirmed by MMA Junkie in the past week.

MMA fight announcements are hard to follow. With so many outlets and channels available, it’s nearly impossible to organize.

But here at MMA Junkie, we’ve got your back.

Each week, we’ll compile all the newly surfaced fights in one spot. Every Monday, expect a feature listing everything you might have missed from the UFC or Bellator.

Here are the fight announcements that were broken or confirmed by MMA Junkie from March 20-26.

UFC Fight Night 219 pre-event facts: Jim Miller adds to record octagon appearance total

Check out the numbers behind UFC Fight Night 219, which features the man and woman with the most fights in company history.

The UFC returns to its home base of Las Vegas on Saturday for UFC Fight Night 219 at the UFC Apex. The card streams on ESPN+.

In the main event, former UFC champ [autotag]Jessica Andrade[/autotag] (24-9 MMA, 15-7 UFC) steps in as a short-notice replacement to test surging prospect [autotag]Erin Blanchfield[/autotag] (10-1 MMA, 4-0 UFC) in a critical bout for the future of the women’s flyweight division.

For more on the numbers behind the headliner, as well as the rest of the card, check below for MMA Junkie’s pre-event facts about UFC Fight Night 219.

Matchup Roundup: New UFC and Bellator fights announced in the past two weeks (April 18-May 1)

All the UFC and Bellator fight announcements that were broken or confirmed by MMA Junkie in the past two weeks.

MMA fight announcements are hard to follow. With so many outlets and channels available, it’s nearly impossible to organize.

But here at MMA Junkie, we’ve got your back.

Each week, we’ll compile all the newly surfaced fights in one spot. Every Monday, expect a feature listing everything you might have missed from the UFC or Bellator.

Here are the fight announcements that were broken or confirmed by MMA Junkie from April 18-May 1.

Dana White’s Contender Series takes on international theme, 10 fights added to upcoming season

Ten fights are on the docket for Season 5 of Dana White’s Contender Series.

The lineup for Dana White’s Contender Series, Season 5 is slowly coming to form. Contracts are going out and fighters are putting their names on the dotted lines.

The upcoming installment has a different flare than recent years, with a large percentage of the roster coming from outside North America. The majority are from Brazil, Russia and beyond. Of the fights that have surfaced thus far, only a few Americans are set to partake in Season 5, which is set to begin in August.

The first known event date is Aug. 31. The series will extend at least through mid-October, with the latest event on the schedule currently set for Oct. 12.

A number of fights have leaked prior to the UFC’s official announcements. Scroll below to see the fights MMA Junkie has confirmed thus far.