Khusein Askhabov Loses TKO Win, Receives 12-Month DMMAF Suspension

Khusein Askhabov left Copenhagen with a first-round TKO win on Oct. 17. Nine days later, the Danish Mixed Martial Arts Federation erased it.

DMMAF announced Monday that Askhabov's victory over Reinaldo Ekson at Airtox Dominance FC 8 had been overturned to a disqualification loss. The federation also suspended Askhabov and his corner team for 12 months from every event and activity it sanctions.

The punishment covers more than competing. DMMAF said Askhabov and the members of his corner cannot take part as fighters, coaches, cornermen or in any other capacity during the suspension.

What happened during the timeout

The lightweight bout was the co-main event at K.B. Hallen in Copenhagen. According to DMMAF's written ruling, the referee stopped the action after a suspected eye poke. The federation said Askhabov then behaved aggressively toward Ekson and tried to attack him while the timeout was still in effect.

DMMAF said the referee had to physically restrain Askhabov. Members of Askhabov's corner also tried to enter the cage, which brought event security into the situation. Askhabov was nevertheless announced as the winner after the fight was stopped.

After reviewing the incident, the board concluded that the conduct during the timeout warranted a disqualification regardless of how the initial stoppage had been handled.

"Attempts to attack an opponent during a timeout, disregard for the referee's instructions, and unauthorised interference from corner teams are unacceptable and have no place in professional MMA," DMMAF said.

The revised result gives Ekson the victory by disqualification. This is not a no contest, and it is not simply a disciplinary fine attached to Askhabov's original win. The official winner changed.

Extending the suspension to the corner is just as notable as changing the result. Cornermen are there to protect their fighter, communicate with officials and keep order between rounds. DMMAF concluded that members of this corner crossed that line when they attempted to enter the cage. The ruling treats the disruption as a team failure rather than placing every consequence on the athlete.

Fight records do not always update at the same speed after an administrative review. The federation's decision is the controlling source for this bout: Ekson won by disqualification, and the TKO originally announced for Askhabov no longer stands.

Askhabov disputes the result

Askhabov objected in a comment on the federation's Instagram post. He acknowledged that emotions were high and mistakes were made, but argued that punishing him should not have resulted in a win for Ekson.

"You can punish me for actions, but that doesn't mean my opponent deserves a victory he didn't earn inside the cage," Askhabov wrote. He also said he never intended to hurt Ekson or anyone from Ekson's team.

That is Askhabov's position, not the finding DMMAF reached. The board based its decision on conduct while the fight was paused and made clear that the circumstances surrounding the earlier stoppage did not excuse what followed.

Ekson told MMA Fighting that he considered the revised decision fair. He also alleged that he had been struck in the back of the head earlier in the bout and that Askhabov later scratched his eye with a thumb. Those injury claims come from Ekson's account. DMMAF's published finding focused on the attempted attack during the timeout, the referee's intervention and the corner team's involvement.

DMMAF admits the first call was wrong

The federation did something athletic commissions are often reluctant to do: it plainly admitted its original decision was incorrect.

DMMAF said the sequence created an unprecedented and difficult situation for the officials, but it did not use that as cover. The organization accepted responsibility for correcting the result and said it would review its procedures and the support available to officials in similar cases.

A referee's timeout has to mean exactly that. Fighters need to stop, corners need to stay outside the cage unless summoned, and officials need enough support to control the scene before it turns into something worse. DMMAF's ruling is severe, but it is also narrowly written around those responsibilities.

The scope should be stated carefully. The 12-month ban applies to DMMAF-sanctioned events and activities. The federation did not describe it as a worldwide suspension, and its statement did not say that every commission or promotion must honor it.

For promoters and regulators outside Denmark, the ruling is still a serious piece of disciplinary history even where it has no automatic legal force. Any future booking will now come with a written finding that covers Askhabov's conduct, his corner's conduct and an official result reversal. That is harder to wave away than an argument over a referee's judgment in real time.

Askhabov made one UFC appearance, losing a unanimous decision to Jamall Emmers in February 2023. The UFC currently lists him as not fighting. His return at Airtox Dominance FC 8 was supposed to put a win back on his record. Instead, it now carries a disqualification and a year-long Danish suspension for both the fighter and his corner.