Usman Nurmagomedov and Merab Dvalishvili involved in Abu Dhabi hotel brawl ahead of RAF event

Merab Dvalishvili and Usman Nurmagomedov were involved in a mass brawl in a hotel lobby in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday ahead of the Real American Freestyle event on Saturday. A video of the incident appeared to show Nurmagomedov approach Dvalishvili from behind and slap him, after which fighting broke out between the two men and members of their teams.

Merab Dvalishvili has won 21 of his 27 professional fights and is scheduled to compete at the RAF event on Saturday against Marlon Moraes. Usman Nurmagomedov is a PFL lightweight champion and is a free agent after his last fight with the PFL; he has been heavily linked with a switch to the UFC. Dvalishvili had described Nurmagomedov's older brother, Umar, as "spoiled" before beating him in a bantamweight title fight in 2025, and Umar Nurmagomedov is due to take on American Urijah Faber at Saturday's event. There was previously an altercation between the two camps before the RAF event in July.

A clip that circulated online showed Nurmagomedov deliver the slap from behind in the hotel lobby and the confrontation subsequently escalate into a wider melee. Dvalishvili shared a video on TikTok while receiving treatment on his bloodied face in which he called Nurmagomedov and his team "snakes." "What a sneaky way, guys," Dvalishvili said. "What kind of fighters you guys are? What kind of man does this? If you want to try, let's do it the real way."

UFC champion Islam Makhachev, who is a close friend and training partner of the Nurmagomedovs, suggested a previous incident prompted Wednesday's altercation. "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."

Two-weight UFC champion Ilia Topuria, a friend of Dvalishvili, shared footage of the incident on X and wrote: "Usman has reportedly been detained, along with the cowards who were with him. "What a disgrace. A bunch of absolute cowards. I always thought you were a bunch of mediocre individuals. Now you've removed every last doubt. "Honour, respect, and humility aren't words you preach. They're values you live by. And you've shown none of them."

MMA fighters often compete in RAF events alongside their careers in larger promotions, with Khamzat Chimaev, Arman Tsarukyan and Colby Covington among those who have recently appeared for the promotion.

Dvalishvili remains scheduled to face Marlon Moraes at the RAF event on Saturday, and Umar Nurmagomedov is due to fight Urijah Faber at the same event.