Former UFC bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili and an accompanying friend were left bloodied on Wednesday following a sudden ambush by PFL lightweight champion Usman Nurmagomedov and a large group of associates in Abu Dhabi
The altercation erupted inside a hotel lobby while Dvalishvili was conducting an interview ahead of his scheduled appearance at the RAF Abu Dhabi grappling event, MMA Junkie reports.
Circulating surveillance footage from the venue appears to show Nurmagomedov approaching Dvalishvili from behind alongside roughly seven other men before the group initiated a physical confrontation.
Shortly after the clash, a visibly bruised and bleeding Dvalishvili took to Instagram while receiving medical attention to condemn the attackers for outnumbering him and striking from behind, challenging them to settle their differences in a fair, one-on-one fight.
The brawl marks the latest escalation in an ongoing feud between Dvalishvili and the Nurmagomedov camp, stemming from his January 2025 victory over Usman’s brother, Umar Nurmagomedov, at UFC 311, as well as a subsequent backstage confrontation in August at RAF Georgia involving one of Umar’s associates.
As Usman Nurmagomedov navigates free agency ahead of a widely anticipated move to the UFC, it remains uncertain whether Dvalishvili’s injuries will impact his scheduled wrestling bout against Marlon Moraes on Saturday.
🚨 Full footage of the brawl between Usman Nurmagomedov and Merab Dvalishvili is INSANE 😬
(via @RedCorner_MMA) https://t.co/uSqGbjfsyc
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) November 11, 2026