Merab Dvalishvili Bloodied in Abu Dhabi Hotel Brawl Involving Usman Nurmagomedov
Former UFC bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili and a friend were reportedly attacked and left bloodied during a hotel altercation involving a group led by PFL champion Usman Nurmagomedov. Dvalishvili was in town to face Marlon Moraes at RAF Abu Dhabi on Wednesday, but it seems somebody decided to start the fights early.
Dvalishvili posted his side of the story on his Instagram while getting medical attention afterwards.
“Usman Nurmagomedov and his friends came like snakes from behind!” Dvalishvili said while getting his injuries tended to.
“What kind of fighters you guys are?! What kind of man does this?! If you want to fight, let’s do like real way, bro! You guys came just because there’s two of us, and you guys were prepared, bro! What the f*ck?”
“That shows your guys’ character, shows you’re not real men! If you want to fight, let’s f*cking fight!,” he said.
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Footage of the alleged attack, shared by former UFC lightweight champion Ilia Topuria, is already making the rounds on social media. The video appears to show Nurmagomedov and his group approaching Dvalishvili from behind. Dvalishvili turns around just in time to catch a slap across the face before all hell breaks loose.
🚨| Full unedited footage of the altercation between Team Usman Nurmagomedov and Merab Dvalishvili earlier today, via @RedCorner_MMA. 👀🎥 https://t.co/5bGciq1dUK
— MMA Orbit (@mma_orbit) November 11, 2026
While Dvalishvili and Nurmagomedov haven’t had much direct interaction, there’s certainly no shortage of bad blood between their camps. Dvalishvili defeated Usman’s brother, Umar Nurmagomedov, at UFC 311 in 2025. Apparently, that rivalry didn’t come with an expiration date.
Things got even messier later that year at RAF Georgia. Dvalishvili slapped Ahmed Gadzhimagomedov, a friend of Usman’s, during another confrontation. There’s still no word on whether Dvalishvili’s scheduled match will move forward Saturday.
Unfortunately, this kind of chaos is becoming familiar territory for RAF. Between press conference brawls and post-match confrontations, the promotion is developing quite the reputation for extracurricular violence.
As of publication, RAF has yet to release an official statement regarding the incident.
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