Merab Dvalishvili Says Usman Nurmagomedov Jumped Him in Abu Dhabi: What Has Actually Been Confirmed
Merab Dvalishvili posted a video of himself Wednesday, bloodied, in a hotel lobby in Abu Dhabi, and accused Usman Nurmagomedov of attacking him from behind.
Dvalishvili, the No. 1-ranked UFC bantamweight contender and a former champion, says he was filming a promotional interview for Real American Freestyle when he and a friend were approached from behind and struck. He says hotel security held him while the two of them were kicked on the ground. He named Usman Nurmagomedov as the instigator and said Umar Nurmagomedov, Usman’s brother and the No. 4-ranked UFC bantamweight, took part as well.
“Usman Nurmagomedov and his friends came like snakes from behind,” he said in the video. “What kind of fighters you guys are?! What kind of man does this?!”
In the caption he wrote that “security was holding me” and that “they kept kicking us when we were down like losers.” He also said he is fine: “I’m a fighter. This is nothing for me.”
What Has Not Been Confirmed
A lot, and it matters. This is Dvalishvili’s account, supported by video he posted himself.
No police agency in the United Arab Emirates has issued a statement. No charges have been reported. Neither Usman nor Umar Nurmagomedov has responded publicly. The UFC has said nothing. The PFL has said nothing. Real American Freestyle, in whose lobby interview this reportedly happened, had issued no statement as of Wednesday evening.
Ilia Topuria, who first posted the video before deleting it, wrote on X that Usman “has reportedly been detained, along with the cowards who were with him.” Uncrowned reported that it could not verify that claim, and no authority has confirmed any detention. Nobody should treat it as fact.
Umar’s involvement is Dvalishvili’s claim. MMA Fighting noted the video appears to show Usman leading the confrontation, but not Umar’s participation. No medical details about either Dvalishvili or his friend have been released, and the number of people involved, which Dvalishvili put at roughly 20, has not been independently established.
Saturday Just Got Complicated
RAF Abu Dhabi runs Saturday at Etihad Arena on Yas Island, headlined by Khamzat Chimaev against Chris Weidman for a crossover wrestling title. Dvalishvili is booked on that card against Marlon Moraes in a catchweight freestyle bout added Nov. 4. Umar Nurmagomedov is booked against Urijah Faber.
No promotion has announced any change to either bout. Sherdog and MMA Fighting reported both were still scheduled; other outlets described Dvalishvili’s status as in doubt. The honest answer is that nobody running the event has said anything yet.
Usman is not on the card. He was in Abu Dhabi to watch his brother compete.
The Fighters and the History
Dvalishvili is 35 and 21-6. He took the bantamweight title from Sean O’Malley at UFC 306 in September 2024, defended it three times, and lost it to Petr Yan at UFC 323 last December. Yan beat him again at UFC 333 on Oct. 24. One of those three title defenses came against Umar Nurmagomedov, by unanimous decision at UFC 311 in January 2025, which remains the only loss on Umar’s record besides a knockout by Song Yadong in August.
Usman is 28 and 22-0 with one no-contest. He has never fought in the UFC. He won the inaugural PFL lightweight title in October 2025 and defended it twice, most recently knocking out Archie Colgan in July, which was the last fight on his contract. He is a free agent, and his manager Ali Abdelaziz shut down reports of a UFC deal on Wednesday: “Guys, the reports that Usman Nurmagomedov signed with another promotion are false. He’s still in an exclusive negotiating period with the PFL.”
This is not the first friction between these camps. At RAF Georgia in July, Dvalishvili was involved in a scuffle with Ahmed Gadzhimagomedov, described in reports as an associate of the Nurmagomedovs, and the two sides have traded insults in the media since.
What happens next depends entirely on parties who have not spoken. Until the UAE authorities, RAF or the UFC say something, everything beyond the video is somebody’s version of events.
A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.
