New Delhi: Former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili was involved in a physical altercation with Professional Fighters League (PFL) lightweight champion Usman Nurmagomedov, the younger brother of his former opponent Umar Nurmagomedov in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday.
A viral video of the fracas shows Dvalishvili giving an interview ahead of Saturday’s Real American Freestyle (RAF) event when Usman Nurmagomedov confronts him, slapping him in the face, following which a brawl breaks out.
Former UFC lightweight champion Ilia Topuria, a friend of Dvalishvili, shared the video of the encounter online which clearly shows Dvalishvili, on being slapped, going after Nurmagomedov, and the scene devolving near-instantly into chaos as members from both camps jump into the fight.
This is not the first time the two camps have clashed. Before he and Umar Nurmagomedov—Usman’s elder brother—faced each other in the octagon, Dvalishvili referred to Umar as “spoiled”, accusing the Dagestani of being disrespectful. Dvalishvili went on to beat Umar Nurmagomedov by unanimous decision at UFC 311 on 18 January 2025, the first professional loss of Umar’s career. The two camps were again involved in a brief altercation in July at another Real American Freestyle (RAF) event in Georgia.
In a later video, Dvalishvili called Nurmagomedov and his camp “snakes”. In the video, he says: “What kind of fighters are you guys? What kind of man does this? If you want to try, let’s do it the real way.” Dvalishvili also assured his fans that he’ll recover from the brawl and will compete at Saturday’s RAF event.
The recent brawl is only going to trigger more attention for the upcoming event on Saturday where both Dvalishvili and Umar Nurmagomedov are scheduled to compete. Dvalishvili faces former UFC title challenger Marlon Moraes, while Umar Nurmagomedov will wrestle former UFC champion Urijah Faber.
The Dvalishvili-Nurmagomedov brawl is no first stain for combat sports; bad blood means good business. Brawls and rivalries outside the ring help keep the counters ringing in combat sports. Controversy creates attention, and the result is more Pay-Per-View (PPV) sales and greater demand for tickets which translates into more revenue. The cake gets bigger, and everybody gets a bigger slice.
For instance, the infamous Conor McGregor-Khabib Nurmagomedov rivalry escalated from verbal attacks to the former UFC champ’s infamous bus attack in Brooklyn, New York. The event generated an estimated 2.4 million pay-per-view buys, a UFC record at the time, and Khabib beat McGregor, but the post-fight brawl became the global talking point. The rivalry helped the UFC harvest mainstream attention and heralded a new rise in its worldwide viewership.
McGregor wasn’t done. Another feud grew, this time with welterweight title contender Nate Diaz, the rivalry becoming famous for insults and confrontations at press. The first fight ended with Diaz winning by submission, a rear-naked choke doing McGregor in.
The rivalry was red-hot now; a rematch was inevitable. The rematch became one of the UFC’s biggest commercial events, reportedly generating around 1.65 million PPV buys. This time McGregor beat Diaz on points after five hard rounds between the two fighters.
This time around, the bad blood between the Nurmagomedov family and Dvalishvili is beginning to froth.
Team-mate and UFC two-division champion Islam Makhachev has defended Usman Nurmagomedov, recalling Dvalishvili’s past behavior. Makhachev released a statement on Instagram with his take on the incident. “To those who are now condemning Usman and the guys, [and] they are writing insults to them, why were you silent when Merab hit a Dagestani wrestler for nothing and hurt his honor?” Makhachev wrote. “Merab started what happened today in his homeland by allowing himself to hit a guest and insulting his mother.”
Topuria went so far as to claim on social media that Usman Nurmagomedov had been detained in Abu Dhabi. He later deleted the video. The Abu Dhabi authorities reportedly summoned all those involved for questioning. No formal police announcement confirming charges or the outcome of the questioning has been reported.
For Nurmagomedov, the stakes are high. He is currently a major free-agent name, with a background as a Bellator and PFL lightweight champion. The incident could complicate a potential move to UFC, particularly if the investigation results in criminal proceedings.
For now, all eyes are on Saturday’s RAF event where both Dvalishvili and Nurmagomedov are going to be.
(Edited by Nardeep Singh Dahiya)
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