Merab Dvalishvili was doing a media interview in an Abu Dhabi hotel lobby when Usman Nurmagomedov walked up behind him and slapped him. Within two days Usman was in jail. Within four, Merab and the young mate who stood beside him in the brawl had both won on the same RAF card.
- When: Wednesday 11 November 2026, in a hotel lobby in Abu Dhabi
- Who: Usman Nurmagomedov and his group against Merab Dvalishvili and his friend Saba Lazishvili
- Why Merab was there: to wrestle Marlon Moraes at Real American Freestyle (RAF) Abu Dhabi
- The sentence: six months’ jail and deportation for Usman and five teammates, plus two men who filmed it
- The fine: AED 300,000 (about US$82,000)
- What happened next: Merab pinned Moraes in 90 seconds; Lazishvili beat Urijah Faber 12-7
What happened in the hotel lobby?
Merab was talking to media about his RAF match when Usman approached from behind with a group. In the video Usman says “I have a question for you” in Russian, then slaps him (EssentiallySports). Merab went straight at the group. He was thrown to the ground, punched and kicked, and left with at least one head wound (The National).
Merab posted from the medical room with blood around his nose and left eye. He said about 20 men were involved and kept hitting the two Georgians when they were down. His line on Usman’s crew: they “came like snakes from behind” (Cageside Press).
Who is Saba Lazishvili?
Saba Lazishvili is the young Georgian fighter who was with Merab in the lobby. He was hurt too: Usman kicked him in the head, according to The National, and he came out of it with cuts to the face. RAF reports say he played a very important role in defending Merab during the melee (LowKick MMA).
Both men were detained with everyone else, and both were released early on Friday 13 November.
Then it got better. When Umar Nurmagomedov came off the RAF card, Lazishvili took his place on short notice against UFC Hall of Famer Urijah Faber, and won 12-7 on points (Yahoo Sports). Merab’s verdict after the event: “He’s my brother forever. For life. Doesn’t matter if he win or lose, he’s winner for me.”
Our read: two blokes against a crowd, and the young bloke stood his ground. That’s the part of this story worth remembering.
Usman Nurmagomedov sentenced to six months
The Abu Dhabi judicial department sentenced Usman and five others to six months in prison, to be followed by deportation, and fined them about US$82,000 (CBS Sports). Two more people who filmed and posted the brawl got the same sentence (Complex), so eight people in total. Usman was also barred from the event, according to RAF co-founder Chad Bronstein (Yahoo Sports).
Usman is a free agent who had recently signed with the PFL and fought for Bellator before that (CBS Sports). He hasn’t commented publicly.
Merab said he was “good, healthy and ready to go” and that he would not press charges (CBS Sports).
Why Merab and the Nurmagomedovs don’t get along
It goes back to January 2025, when Merab beat Umar Nurmagomedov on points at UFC 311 to keep his bantamweight title. In July 2026, at RAF Georgia, Merab slapped Ahmed Gadzhimagomedov, a Dagestani wrestler from Umar’s camp, and a scuffle followed (EssentiallySports). Islam Makhachev pointed to that slap when he defended Usman this week. Sean Strickland, Paulo Costa and Ilia Topuria lined up on Merab’s side. Topuria called the group “a bunch of absolute cowards”.
For more on the Dagestani camp’s other big name, see our Della Maddalena vs Makhachev preview.
Merab beat Marlon Moraes in 90 seconds
Three days after the attack, Merab walked out at the Etihad Arena and pinned Marlon Moraes, a man he’d already beaten in the UFC, at 1:30 of the first round (Yahoo Sports). Moraes scored first with a level change, then Merab turned it and put him on his back (LowKick MMA).
Then he used the microphone to ask for the release of the men who’d jumped him: “Abu Dhabi government, please release those guys. Let them out, please.”
Our read: you can argue about the slap in Georgia. You can’t argue with how Merab handled the week after it: no charges, a 90-second win and a plea for the other side.
Sources: The National, 11 November 2026; EssentiallySports, 11 November; Cageside Press, 11 November; CBS Sports, 13 November; Complex, 13 November; Yahoo Sports, 14 November; LowKick MMA, 14 November. Checked 15 November 2026.
