Saba Lazishvili Replaces Umar Nurmagomedov Against Urijah Faber at RAF Abu Dhabi

RAF Abu Dhabi has handed Urijah Faber a completely new opponent less than 24 hours before the event. Saba Lazishvili, a 21-year-old Georgian wrestler, will replace Umar Nurmagomedov in a catchweight crossover match Saturday at Etihad Arena.

Real American Freestyle's official event page now lists Faber vs. Lazishvili, while Lazishvili's new RAF profile shows an age of 21 and a professional record of 0-0. The National reported that this will be his professional wrestling debut.

Faber gets an unknown opponent on one day's notice

The switch changes the match more than a typical late replacement would. Faber had been booked against Nurmagomedov, an established UFC contender with years of high-level MMA and combat-sports footage. Lazishvili arrives without a professional RAF match on his record.

That does not make the assignment easy or predictable. It makes it difficult to scout. RAF identifies the new bout as a catchweight crossover match but has not published a numerical weight limit. The promotion also has not stated why Nurmagomedov was removed, so the change should not be assigned to an injury, disciplinary action or legal restriction without further confirmation.

Faber remains on the card rather than losing his appearance altogether. The UFC Hall of Famer will now face a younger opponent whose first professional match comes on one of RAF's most visible events.

Dvalishvili-Moraes remains on the card

RAF's updated lineup also keeps Merab Dvalishvili against Marlon Moraes. Dvalishvili and Lazishvili were detained after Wednesday's hotel-lobby brawl involving Usman Nurmagomedov and several other people. Both Georgians were released Friday before the promotion confirmed their matches.

The legal details require care. Abu Dhabi's Criminal Court convicted all 10 defendants connected to the brawl. According to The National and BBC Sport, eight received six-month prison sentences, fines and deportation orders, while two received fines. The public court statement did not identify the defendants by name.

That distinction matters because several reports have gone further than the authority's public wording. What RAF has now confirmed is narrower: Dvalishvili remains booked against Moraes, and Lazishvili has taken Nurmagomedov's place against Faber.

RAF Abu Dhabi timing

RAF Abu Dhabi begins Saturday, November 14, at 8 p.m. Gulf Standard Time, or 11 a.m. Eastern. Khamzat Chimaev vs. Chris Weidman remains the light heavyweight crossover championship main event. Faber vs. Lazishvili is a wrestling match under RAF's crossover format, not an MMA bout.