Video of the alleged attack on Merab Dvalishvili in an Abu Dhabi hotel lobby has emerged, and Ilia Topuria says Usman Nurmagomedov was detained afterwards, but that detention claim comes only from Topuria. As of Wednesday evening, Nov. 11, no police statement, no comment from Real American Freestyle (RAF) and no response from Usman or Umar Nurmagomedov had been reported.
What the footage shows
Topuria, a close friend of Dvalishvili, posted the clip on X and later deleted it. According to MMA Fighting, the 37-second video shows Dvalishvili rehearsing an RAF promo when a group approaches from behind. A taller man in a black shirt and hat, possibly Usman Nurmagomedov, gets his attention and strikes him in the face. After a cut, Dvalishvili and his friend are seen brawling with several members of the group, and a figure who appears to be Dvalishvili is lifted and thrown to the ground. Bloody Elbow describes Usman approaching from behind and slapping Dvalishvili, and The National says the footage shows the Russian striking him before a melee. A second angle was later posted by Red Corner MMA. Usman's camp has not confirmed or disputed his identity in the video.
Dvalishvili said in an Instagram caption, quoted by The National and GiveMeSport: "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." In his video, recorded while medics treated a bloodied face, he also named Umar: "Usman, Umar, and his friends came in a sneaky way and tried to beat us," according to MMA Fighting. He added: "I'm fine. I'm a fighter."
Topuria's posts
Topuria captioned the original clip: "You're a bunch of cowards, and you'll be held accountable for what you've done. You're anything but real men." In a follow-up post, quoted by MMA Fighting, he wrote: "Usman has reportedly been detained, along with the cowards who were with him."
What is not confirmed
There is no official confirmation of any detention, and Sports.kz also describes it as unconfirmed. MMA Fighting notes that it is unclear whether Topuria was on site or was sent the video. The National said it had contacted RAF for comment, with no reply published. Among fighters reacting, PFL star Dakota Ditcheva commented under Dvalishvili's post, "And we call ourselves 'professional athletes'", according to Bloody Elbow.
The fighters and RAF Abu Dhabi
Dvalishvili (21-6), 35, is ranked No. 1 at UFC bantamweight in Pugna MMA's database. He lost a unanimous decision to Petr Yan in the bantamweight title fight at UFC 333 on Oct. 24. He is scheduled to face Marlon Moraes (23-13-1) in a wrestling match at RAF Abu Dhabi on Saturday, Nov. 14, at Etihad Arena. MMA Fighting said the match was still scheduled, while GiveMeSport says it is now in doubt. According to MMA Mania, the card starts at 11 a.m. ET (17:00 CET, 8 p.m. local time). Umar Nurmagomedov, ranked No. 5 at UFC bantamweight in our database, faces Urijah Faber on the same card. Dvalishvili beat Umar by unanimous decision at UFC 311 in January 2025, and The National reports that the rivalry has flared again in recent months.
Usman Nurmagomedov (22-0, 1 NC) is the PFL lightweight champion in our database. His last fight was a first-round stoppage of Archie Colgan on July 31. He is not on the RAF card, according to The National, which describes him as a free agent widely expected to sign with the UFC. His manager Ali Abdelaziz wrote on X on Nov. 11 that he is still in an exclusive negotiating period with the PFL, according to Middle Easy. MMA Fighting wrote that the incident did him no favors in free agency.
What comes next
It is still unclear whether Dvalishvili will compete on Saturday and whether any official action follows. Pugna MMA will update this story if police, RAF or the Nurmagomedov camp comment.
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Sources
This article was generated with AI and may contain errors.