Boxing Schedule Tonight: Merab Left Bleeding, Usman's Gang Hunted By Police
Fight week in Abu Dhabi has been rocked by a hotel-lobby brawl involving former UFC bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili and Usman Nurmagomedov. A video appears to show Nurmagomedov approach Dvalishvili from behind and slap him before a larger altercation breaks out. Dvalishvili later appeared with a bloodied face and accused Nurmagomedov and others of attacking him.
The title says Nurmagomedov’s group is “hunted by police,” but the confirmed facts are more specific: Abu Dhabi Police reported 10 arrests after the incident. Police have not publicly identified those arrested, and it has not been confirmed that Usman or Umar Nurmagomedov was among them. The claim that Usman was detained came from Dvalishvili’s friend Ilia Topuria, who described it as a report.
This is the story everyone in combat sports is talking about as fight week rolls on. If you’re checking the boxing schedule tonight, there’s a major MMA story unfolding alongside the bouts. And for fans following every twist before Saturday’s RAF event, don’t look away.
What the video appears to show
The incident took place Wednesday in a hotel lobby in Abu Dhabi. Dvalishvili was doing an interview for Real American Freestyle (RAF). Video coverage appears to show Nurmagomedov approach him from behind and slap him. A larger fight involving people around the fighters followed.
Dvalishvili described his account in an Instagram caption: “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 a video posted afterward, Dvalishvili said: “What a sneaky way, just two of us, me and my friend came here in Abu Dhabi, and Usman Nurmagomedov and his friends came like snakes from behind.” He challenged them: “If you want to talk and fight, let's do it the real way.”
Dvalishvili also claimed he and a friend were ambushed by “20 guys” during the pre-fight interview and left bloodied. Those are his allegations. The video shows part of the altercation, but it does not establish every detail of the events before and after the footage.
Dvalishvili said he and a friend were attacked by a group led by Nurmagomedov. Credit: Merab Dvalishvili via The National.
In another video, Dvalishvili said: “We bleed, we fight, we war, but you guys are just sneaky guys.” He later added, “I'm fine. All my friends and family, I'm f*ing fine, I'm a fighter. This is nothing for me.”** Neither Usman nor Umar Nurmagomedov had addressed Dvalishvili’s post at the time of reporting.
Ten arrests confirmed, identities not announced
Abu Dhabi Police confirmed that 10 people were arrested in connection with the hotel brawl. Eight were arrested for involvement in the fight, and two for filming the incident. Police did not publicly identify those arrested.
Topuria, a friend and fellow former UFC champion, shared footage on X and wrote: “Usman has reportedly been detained, along with the cowards who were with him.” Topuria also criticized the people he said were involved. He later deleted the video, but his statement remains part of the public reaction.
The distinction is important: Topuria said Usman had reportedly been detained, but that has not been confirmed by police. The confirmed police figure is 10 arrests. Public reporting has not established that Usman, Umar, or any specific fighter was among those arrested.
The footage shared by Topuria appears to show a figure striking Dvalishvili before the altercation spreads. Credit: Footage shared by Ilia Topuria via X, screenshot via MMA Fighting.
A rivalry with a long fuse
The tension between Dvalishvili and the Nurmagomedov camp stretches back to the build-up to UFC 311 in January 2025. Dvalishvili beat Umar Nurmagomedov by unanimous decision to defend his UFC bantamweight title. Before that fight, Dvalishvili called Umar “spoiled.”
The feud flared again around UFC Georgia, where Dvalishvili was involved in a scuffle with an associate of Umar’s. The two sides traded insults in the media. There was also an altercation between the camps before the RAF event in July.
Islam Makhachev, a close friend and training partner of the Nurmagomedovs, suggested that the earlier incident led to Wednesday’s confrontation. Makhachev wrote: “Why were you silent when Merab hit a Dagestani wrestler for nothing and hurt his honor?” He also said: “Merab started what happened today in his homeland by allowing himself to hit a guest and insulting his mother.”
Those comments reflect Makhachev’s account and view of the earlier dispute. They do not independently establish what happened in the hotel. The rivalry has now spilled into the public eye again, with video, accusations, and opposing accounts driving the conversation.
Usman’s future and Saturday’s RAF card
Nurmagomedov is a PFL lightweight champion turned free agent, ranked among the best lightweights in the world and heavily linked with a possible move to the UFC. His free agency already made his next step a major talking point. Now, a new question has landed: could the Abu Dhabi incident affect his UFC prospects, or might he return to the PFL?
That outcome is uncertain. MMA Fighting’s Damon Martin raised the career question, but no decision about Nurmagomedov’s future has been announced. The focus remains on what happened in the hotel and the police-confirmed arrests, while the people named in public accusations have not all responded.
Dvalishvili is scheduled to wrestle Brazilian Marlon Moraes at RAF Abu Dhabi on Saturday. Umar Nurmagomedov is scheduled to face American Urijah Faber at the same event. MMA Fighting reported that Dvalishvili appears to be fine and that his match remains scheduled, though it remains to be seen whether the dispute with the Nurmagomedovs escalates.
The card is still on the schedule, but the atmosphere has changed. Will the spotlight return to the wrestling when competition begins, or will this rivalry keep pulling attention back to the hotel footage? Fans will be watching closely.
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