Merab Dvalishvili says he and a young friend were attacked by Usman Nurmagomedov and several associates in an Abu Dhabi hotel lobby on Wednesday, Nov. 11, while he was giving an interview ahead of RAF Abu Dhabi, but so far the account comes from Dvalishvili alone. He made the claim in an Instagram video and caption. As of the reports Pugna MMA read, no one from Team Nurmagomedov had responded, and no police or official involvement has been reported.
What Dvalishvili says happened
In his Instagram caption, as quoted by GiveMeSport, Dvalishvili wrote: "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." He added that the group "kept kicking us when we were down".
In the video, according to Bloody Elbow, GiveMeSport and MMA News, he is bleeding from the face and receiving medical attention. He says "just two of us came here in Abu Dhabi" and that Usman Nurmagomedov and his friends "came like snakes from behind". He challenges them: "If you want to fight let's fight, we are fighters, bro." He also described it as "20 guys vs just two guys", according to those outlets.
In the footage his nose is bleeding and his left eye appears badly swollen, nearly shut, according to Bloody Elbow and MMA News. No medical update has been reported.
In further comments reported by AgentMMA, Dvalishvili said his friend, a 21-year-old wrestler, "fought both brothers" and came away with only a minor mark on his face, which suggests Umar Nurmagomedov was also involved. Bloody Elbow says Umar's role, if any, is unclear. Neither Nurmagomedov has commented in the reports we found, and none of the outlets has independently confirmed Dvalishvili's version.
Why it matters for RAF Abu Dhabi
RAF Abu Dhabi, a freestyle wrestling event headlined by Khamzat Chimaev vs. Chris Weidman, takes place on Saturday, Nov. 14, at Etihad Arena. According to MMA Mania, the card starts at 11 a.m. ET (8 p.m. local time, 17:00 CET) and airs on Fox Nation. Dvalishvili is scheduled to face Marlon Moraes in a catchweight wrestling match, and Bloody Elbow and MMA News report that his participation is now in doubt. RAF has not issued a statement that we could find. Umar Nurmagomedov faces Urijah Faber at 155 pounds on the same card.
Background
Dvalishvili and Umar Nurmagomedov have a long rivalry. They met for the UFC bantamweight title at UFC 311 in January 2025, and Dvalishvili won by unanimous decision after five rounds, according to Pugna MMA's records.
Dvalishvili is 21-6 and ranked No. 1 in the UFC bantamweight division in our database. His most recent fight was a unanimous decision loss to Petr Yan in a title fight at UFC 333 on Oct. 24, 2026, his second straight defeat to Yan after UFC 323 in December 2025, according to AgentMMA. Yan holds the belt.
Usman Nurmagomedov is 22-0 with one no contest and is the PFL lightweight champion in our database. His last bout was a first-round technical knockout of Archie Colgan on July 31, 2026, at PFL New York, the final fight of his PFL contract. Bloody Elbow reported that he turned down a $2 million PFL offer, and on Nov. 11 his manager Ali Abdelaziz wrote on X that reports of him signing with another promotion are false and that he is still in an exclusive negotiating period with the PFL, according to Middle Easy.
Umar Nurmagomedov is 20-2 and ranked No. 5 in the UFC bantamweight division in our database. He lost by second-round technical knockout to Song Yadong on Aug. 29, 2026.
What comes next
The key questions are whether Dvalishvili is medically cleared for Saturday, whether RAF takes any action, and whether the Nurmagomedov camp responds. Until it does, what happened in the lobby rests on Dvalishvili's video and his description of events. Pugna MMA will update this story when RAF or either Nurmagomedov comments.
Follow Dvalishvili, both Nurmagomedovs and every UFC and PFL card live round by round in the free Pugna MMA app, with live MMA results and a free no-money prediction game in eight languages.
Sources
This article was generated with AI and may contain errors.