Merab Dvalishvili Says Usman Nurmagomedov Attacked Him in Abu Dhabi
The former UFC champion posted a bloodied video and accused Usman Nurmagomedov and friends of jumping him three days before RAF Abu Dhabi.
Merab Dvalishvili says he was jumped in Abu Dhabi three days before his next match. In a video posted to X on Wednesday morning, the former UFC bantamweight champion showed a bloodied face and accused Usman Nurmagomedov and several of his friends of attacking him and a friend in a hotel lobby while he was doing an interview for Real American Freestyle. The Merab Dvalishvili attack claim is his account alone so far. Team Nurmagomedov had not responded publicly when the clip spread, Bloody Elbow reported.
What Dvalishvili says happened
Dvalishvili posted the video at about 11 a.m. ET on Nov. 11. He is shown getting medical attention, with blood running from his nose and around his left eye. In the caption, he wrote that Usman and “his buddies came up from behind” and started punching him and his younger friend. He added that security held him back while the group kept kicking the two of them on the ground.
https://x.com/MerabDvalishvil/status/2120548582487134666
In the video, Dvalishvili says only two of them had come to Abu Dhabi and calls the people who hit him cowards, MMA News reported. Several outlets described the footage, but none had independent video of the incident itself, and there was no statement from RAF, hotel security or local police in those first reports.
A feud that started with Umar Nurmagomedov
The bad blood isn’t new. Dvalishvili beat Umar Nurmagomedov by unanimous decision at UFC 311 in January 2025 to keep the bantamweight title, and it was Umar’s first pro loss. Dvalishvili has kept saying Umar got that title shot too early, and the Nurmagomedov camp has pointed to a hand injury Umar suffered in the fight.
It boiled over in July at RAF Georgia. After Dvalishvili dismissed the idea of a wrestling match with Umar, Umar’s friend Ahmed Gadzhimagomedov confronted him, and Dvalishvili slapped him, setting off a brawl. Dvalishvili later told Ariel Helwani that the man grabbed him by the neck first, Boxing News reported, citing Sherdog.
Bloody Elbow identified Usman as Umar’s younger brother. Usman is the unbeaten lightweight who has held the PFL title, and like Umar, he’s a cousin of Khabib Nurmagomedov, per ESPN.
Both sides are on the same RAF Abu Dhabi card
That’s what makes this week tense. RAF Abu Dhabi is Saturday, Nov. 14, at Etihad Arena on Yas Island, and it streams on FOX Nation. Dvalishvili faces Marlon Moraes in a catchweight crossover wrestling match, a rematch of their UFC 266 fight in 2021 that Dvalishvili won by second-round TKO, Arab News reported. Umar Nurmagomedov is on the same card against Urijah Faber.
| RAF Abu Dhabi (Nov. 14) | Matchup |
|---|---|
| Main event | Khamzat Chimaev vs. Colby Covington (Cruiserweight Crossover title) |
| Crossover | Merab Dvalishvili vs. Marlon Moraes |
| Crossover | Umar Nurmagomedov vs. Urijah Faber |
| Also on the card | Jordan Burroughs, Kyle Snyder, Julianna Peña, Zabit Magomedsharipov |
RAF had not announced any change to Dvalishvili’s match as of Wednesday afternoon. How bad his eye is will matter. This is his first appearance since he lost to Petr Yan by unanimous decision at UFC 333 in Abu Dhabi on Oct. 24, according to MiddleEasy.
Fight week now has a bigger question
The next few days should answer a lot: whether Usman or anyone from his team gives their side, whether RAF or Abu Dhabi officials step in, and whether Dvalishvili is cleared to wrestle Moraes on Saturday. We’ll update this story as statements come in.
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Sources: Merab Dvalishvili on X, Bloody Elbow, MMA News, GiveMeSport, Arab News, The National, Bloody Elbow (card), MMA Mania, MiddleEasy, Boxing News, ESPN