Nurmagomedov attacked the former UFC champion in Abu Dhabi, a fight broke out

In the hotel Abu Dhabi there was a fight with the participation of Dagestani fighter of mixed martial arts Usman Nurmagomedov and ex-UFC champion in the lightest weight Merab Dvalishvili.

The incident happened while the Georgian athlete was recording a video for the RAF. According to Dvalishvili, Nurmagomedov approached him from the back and hit him in the face, after which a mass brawl ensued.

According to Merab, there was a crowd on Uthman’s side, while he was with only one friend. Later, the Georgian published footage with a bloody face and spoke sharply about the incident: he said that the guards held him while the attackers continued to strike lying down, and compared Nurmagomedov’s actions to the behavior of snakes, calling them cowards. The former champion also offered to find out the relationship honestly, if the opposite side has the desire.

Dvalishvili won the UFC belt in 2024, held three successful defenses, but in December 2025 he lost the title to Russian Peter Jan. He has 21 victories and six defeats in mixed martial arts.

Usman Nurmagomedov is the second cousin of former UFC champion Khabib Nurmagomedov. In MMA, he won 22 victories without suffering a single defeat, while one fight was declared invalid.