Former UFC bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili says Usman Nurmagomedov punched and kicked him in an Abu Dhabi hotel lobby, leaving him bloodied.
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Former UFC bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili was bloodied during a melee in an Abu Dhabi hotel lobby this week, after Usman Nurmagomedov approached him from behind and a fight broke out, Dvalishvili said in an Instagram video.
Dvalishvili said he was recording an interview for Real American Freestyle when Nurmagomedov and others approached from behind. He wrote that Nurmagomedov slapped him across the face, sparking what he described as a chaotic assault in which at least six people were involved.
In his caption, Dvalishvili said security was holding him while he and a “young friend” were kicked while they were down. He also said the group continued to attack after the initial confrontation.
Dvalishvili said he believed the confrontation involved Nurmagomedov, Umar Nurmagomedov, and their friends, adding that he came to Abu Dhabi “and Usman, Umar, and his friends came in a sneaky way” to try to beat him.
The post referenced Dvalishvili’s recent UFC fights with Umar Nurmagomedov and Petr Yan. Dvalishvili defeated Umar Nurmagomedov at UFC 311 in January 2025 to defend his bantamweight title, then later lost the title to Petr Yan the following December, in a rematch he had scheduled in Abu Dhabi on Oct. 24, 2026.
Dvalishvili’s last fight before the Abu Dhabi incident was against Yan, and the source says he is staying in Abu Dhabi because he is set to fight Marlon Moraes at this Saturday’s RAF event. Usman Nurmagomedov is described in the source as the Professional Fighters League lightweight champion.
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