Former UFC bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili was attacked from behind by MMA free agent Usman Nurmagomedov and several others in a hotel lobby in Abu Dhabi this week, days before Dvalishvili is scheduled to fight at a Real American Freestyle event this Saturday.
Dvalishvili was recording an interview for Real American Freestyle when Usman Nurmagomedov and others approached from behind him and Usman slapped him across the face. At least six people were involved in the brawl that followed, leaving Dvalishvili bloodied.
Usman Nurmagomedov is the younger brother of Umar Nurmagomedov, whom Dvalishvili defeated by unanimous decision at UFC 311 in January 2025 while defending his bantamweight title.
Dvalishvili described the attack in an Instagram post showing him receiving treatment afterward.
“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. Security was holding me – They kept kicking us when we were down like losers,” Dvalishvili wrote.
“What a sneaky way, just two of us, me and my friend came here in Abu Dhabi, and Usman Nurmagomedov and his friends came like snakes from behind,” he said in the post. “What kind of fighters you guys are? What kind of man does this? If you want to talk and fight, let’s do it the real way.”
“We bleed, we fight, we war, but you guys are just sneaky guys,” Dvalishvili continued. “You guys aren’t real men. This shows your guys’ character, shows you guys are not real men. What the f—, guys? If you want to fight, fight. Let’s f—ing fight. We are fighters. I talk, I’m a real guy, I talk straight, but you guys came from behind. I don’t know how many guys you was. All your friends, waiting for us in a sneaky way. Wow, bro. Wow. I knew what kind of guys you are.”
Dvalishvili won the bantamweight title at UFC 306 against Sean O’Malley and defended it against O’Malley again at UFC 316, a card President Donald Trump attended. He lost the title to Petr Yan the following December and lost a rematch against Yan on Oct. 24, 2026, also in Abu Dhabi, both by unanimous decision.
Dvalishvili remained in Abu Dhabi because he is set to fight Marlon Moraes at Saturday’s Real American Freestyle event.
Usman Nurmagomedov currently holds the Professional Fighters League lightweight championship. He and Umar Nurmagomedov are first cousins of former UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov, who has coached current lightweight champion Islam Makhachev.
