UFC fighter Khusein Askhabov arrested in connection with robbery, torture, kidnapping in Thailand
By Amy Kaplan
UFC fighter Khusein Askhabov, his twin brother Khasan, and three others were arrested for a violent robbery that occurred in Thailand.
According to Phuket News, three men entered a villa at a resort in Cherng Talay to rob an Italian man. The report says the three men "held him bound and gagged while beating him for information in an hours-long ordeal that ended with the three men flying out of Phuket to Dubai after robbing the Italian man of more than B12 million in personal belongings."
They state that the three men were on the phone with the person who organized the crime who was giving them instructions and taking the passwords to access accounts online.
According to the outlet, Khusein trains out of a Muay Thai camp in Cherng Talay after having trained at Tiger Muay Thai.
The arrests came after the man was able to free himself from the villa (still bound and gagged) and rolled himself outdoors. The robbery occurred at around 11 p.m. while the man was sleeping and he was not able to get help until 5 p.m., the report states.
The three robbers, who the victim says he did not know, took with them the following: Various watches, a MacBook, an iPhone, sunglasses, a passport, a bank card, and passwords. They also stole 40,000 Euros (about $42,000) in cash and another $17,000 in ATM withdrawals.
The victim suffered "multiple contusions to his face and body" the outlet reported.
Khusein is not believed to be one of the three men who entered the home but was arrested for his unknown involvement in the alleged crime. The three attackers are believed to have fled Phuket at about 7 p.m. and have returned to Kazakhstan. The victim says he does know the Askhabov brothers, but did not know the three attackers.
It's unclear where the arrest took place but it is said to have occurred on Tuesday, Sept. 5.
Khusein is scheduled to face Daniel Pineda on Oct. 7 in Las Vegas, NV. He lost his UFC debut via unanimous decision to Jamall Emmers in February and had two back-to-back fights canceled in June and July of this year.
There's been no word from the UFC on the matter.