Merab Dvalishvili Accuses Usman Nurmagomedov's Group of Abu Dhabi Attack

Merab Dvalishvili says Usman Nurmagomedov and a group of associates attacked him and a young Georgian wrestler during media duties for Real American Freestyle in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday. Video posted by Ilia Topuria shows a chaotic fight in a hotel lobby involving Dvalishvili, Nurmagomedov and several other men.

Dvalishvili later appeared on camera with blood around his nose and a badly swollen left eye. His companion was also visibly injured. No medical diagnosis has been released, and the footage does not establish what happened before the confrontation began.

Dvalishvili gives his account

"Was doing an interview for RAF in hotel lobby and Usman and his buddies came up from behind and started punching me and my young friend," Dvalishvili wrote on X. "Security was holding me - they kept kicking us when we were down like losers."

The former UFC bantamweight champion said the friend with him was a 21-year-old wrestler from Georgia. He named both Usman and Umar Nurmagomedov in a follow-up video, though the available footage does not settle who threw each strike or support every detail of his account.

"I'm fine," Dvalishvili said. "I'm a fighter. This is nothing for me."

CBS Sports and Sherdog reported the incident after Dvalishvili and Topuria published their videos. Neither report included a response from Nurmagomedov's camp. FightPulse also had not found a public statement from RAF or Abu Dhabi authorities when this story was published.

Police questioning reported after the fight

Ariel Helwani reported later Wednesday that everyone involved, including Dvalishvili and his friend, was at a police station for questioning. Helwani said his understanding was that Dvalishvili was not pressing charges, but that authorities brought the participants in because the incident happened in public and was caught on camera.

For now, that remains Helwani's report. No public police statement was available to independently confirm it. Claims about arrests, charges or possible promotional punishment would be premature.

RAF match status remains unclear

Dvalishvili is scheduled to wrestle Marlon Moraes at RAF Abu Dhabi on Saturday, November 14, at Etihad Arena. The match revisits their September 2021 UFC bout, which Dvalishvili won by second-round TKO after surviving a knockdown and submission danger.

The condition of Dvalishvili's eye immediately raised questions about whether he can compete. As of publication, RAF had not announced a change to the match. A decision will depend on medical clearance and the promotion, not on Dvalishvili's insistence that he is fine.

The camps already had history: Dvalishvili defeated Umar Nurmagomedov by unanimous decision at UFC 311 in January 2025. Nobody has established whether that rivalry had anything to do with Wednesday's fight.