UFC CEO Dana White called the Abu Dhabi hotel brawl involving Usman Nurmagomedov and Merab Dvalishvili "absolutely ridiculous and stupid" and said the UFC is not talking to Nurmagomedov, who he says is still under contract. White spoke at the UFC 334 pre-fight press conference in New York on Thursday, November 12, ahead of Saturday's card at Madison Square Garden.
What Dana White said
According to MMA Junkie, White's first reaction to the footage was: "What a bunch of fcking idiots." At the press conference, as quoted by Sherdog and MMA Mania, he said: "It's absolutely ridiculous and stupid. They're all in jail. That is not a place to go fck around."
Speaking to Adam Glyn, quoted by Sherdog, White added: "That stuff's never good for business. Makes everybody involved look bad. And it's unfortunate. We're in the fight business, and crazy sh*t happens. Now they are all in jail in Abu Dhabi; let's see how that goes."
Asked whether the incident could put the UFC off signing Usman Nurmagomedov once he is fully available, White told reporters, per MMA Junkie: "He's still under contract. We're not talking to him right now anyways."
Is Usman Nurmagomedov a free agent?
Not fully, based on the latest reports. MMA Junkie says Nurmagomedov completed his PFL contract with his July win over Archie Colgan, but appears to still be in an exclusive negotiation window with the PFL. Sherdog describes him as an unbeaten free agent in whom the UFC reportedly holds strong interest. White's answer indicates there are no talks for now.
What happened in Abu Dhabi
On Wednesday, November 11, Nurmagomedov approached Merab Dvalishvili from behind while the former UFC bantamweight champion was giving an interview in the lobby of the Yas Hilton hotel, MMA Mania reports. He slapped Dvalishvili, sparking a brawl involving Nurmagomedov's entourage and Dvalishvili's friend Saba Lazishvili, according to Sherdog. Dvalishvili later posted videos showing bruises and cuts he and his friend suffered.
Abu Dhabi Police said eight people were arrested for fighting and two more for filming the incident, and referred all of them to the Public Prosecution. Police did not publicly identify those detained, but The National and MMA Mania report that both Dvalishvili and Nurmagomedov were among those arrested. MMA Junkie reports that Nurmagomedov's manager, Ali Abdelaziz, has issued a public apology on his client's behalf.
What it means for RAF Abu Dhabi
Dvalishvili did not appear at Thursday's Real American Freestyle press conference, The National reports. RAF co-owner and CEO Chad Bronstein said: "We're working through the situation right now. Merab is doing well. We're working through the situation now with the UAE [authorities]. So we're hoping that the situation gets resolved sooner or later." Asked about consequences, he said: "Obviously Usman will not be attending our event on Saturday night."
Usman was not booked on the card, but his older brother Umar Nurmagomedov is, against Urijah Faber. Dvalishvili named both brothers in one of his videos, but The National says it could not confirm Umar's involvement or whether he was among the 10 people arrested. Umar was also absent from Thursday's press conference.
Dvalishvili is booked against Marlon Moraes in a catchweight crossover bout. Sherdog reports RAF still hopes he can compete, while The National notes that Faber could be matched with Moraes if needed. RAF Abu Dhabi takes place on Saturday, November 14, at Etihad Arena, headlined by Khamzat Chimaev vs. Chris Weidman, with an advertised 8 p.m. local start (11 a.m. ET, 17:00 CET). No official update on Dvalishvili's status had been published at the time of writing.
The fighters
Nurmagomedov is 22-0 with one no contest in Pugna MMA's database and is the PFL lightweight champion. His last fight was a first-round TKO (punches, 3:42) of Archie Colgan in a title fight at PFL New York on July 31. He is a cousin of UFC Hall of Famer Khabib Nurmagomedov.
Dvalishvili is 21-6 and ranked No. 1 at bantamweight in our UFC rankings data. His most recent fight was a unanimous-decision loss to Petr Yan in a five-round title fight at UFC 333 on October 24. Moraes is 23-13-1 and last fought at PFL 4 in June 2023.
What comes next
The fate of those arrested is up to the UAE authorities. Nurmagomedov's contract situation and any changes to the RAF card are the next things to watch. White's own event, UFC 334: Gane vs. Hokit, goes ahead on Saturday at Madison Square Garden, with the main card at 9 p.m. ET (03:00 CET on Sunday).
Follow UFC 334 live, round by round, in the free Pugna MMA app, and make your picks in our free prediction game.
Sources
This article was generated with AI and may contain errors.