Slaps, punches and mayhem: MMA fighter Merab Dvalishvili attacked by Usman Nurmagomedov in hotel lobby, video goes viral

Former UFC bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili and PFL lightweight champion Usman Nurmagomedov were involved in a physical altercation in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday, with videos of the incident circulating on social media.The incident took place in a hotel lobby ahead of an MMA event scheduled for this weekend in Abu Dhabi. Usman, the younger brother of Dvalishvili’s former opponent Umar Nurmagomedov, was seen approaching the Georgian fighter from behind before punching him across the face.Dvalishvili is in Abu Dhabi to compete in Saturday’s Real American Freestyle (RAF) event. He later posted a video on Instagram after the incident showing his bloodied face.Several videos of the confrontation were shared online, including one by former UFC lightweight champion Ilia Topuria, who is friends with Dvalishvili. After the initial slap, Dvalishvili tried to go after Usman, leading to a fight involving members of both fighters’ camps. At least six people were involved in the altercation.Dvališvili claimed that he and a young friend were attacked while he was giving an interview in the hotel lobby.“He was doing an interview for the RAF in the hotel lobby and Usman and his friends came from behind and started punching me and my young friend. The security guards were holding me down – They kept kicking us when we were down like losers,” Dvalishvili captioned an Instagram video showing him receiving treatment.In another video after the incident, Dvalishvili called Usman and his team “snakes” and questioned their actions.“What a sneaky way, guys,” says Dvalishvili. “What kind of warriors are you? What kind of person does this? If you want to try, let’s do it for real.”The confrontation is the latest development in a long-running rivalry between Dvalishvili and Nurmagomedov’s camp. Before defeating Umar in January 2025, Dvalishvili called him “spoiled” and accused the Dagestani fighter of disrespect.The two camps were also involved in a brief altercation in July at another RAF event in Georgia.Both Dvališvili and Umar are scheduled to compete at the RAF event on Saturday. Dvalishvili will face former UFC title challenger Marlon Moraes, while Umar is set to fight former UFC champion Urijah Faber.