What started as a rivalry inside the UFC has now turned into a hotel brawl involving two of MMA’s biggest names.
On November 11, Merab Dvalishvili and Usman Nurmagomedov were involved in a violent confrontation in Abu Dhabi, leaving Dvalishvili with a bloodied face and several people reportedly detained for questioning.
But the tension didn’t start that day.
It goes back to January 2025, when Dvalishvili defeated Usman’s brother, Umar Nurmagomedov, at UFC 311. Their rivalry continued after the fight, with disagreements and public exchanges between the two camps.
Things escalated again in July 2026, when Dvalishvili slapped Akhmed Gadzhimagomedov, a fighter associated with the Nurmagomedov camp, during a backstage confrontation at a wrestling event in Georgia.
That earlier incident has now become central to the dispute.
Following Wednesday’s brawl, UFC champion Islam Makhachev defended Usman, arguing that Dvalishvili had started the conflict by striking their associate months earlier.
However, Dvalishvili tells a different story.
He says he was giving an interview in an Abu Dhabi hotel when Usman and several associates approached him from behind. Videos show Usman apparently slapping him before a larger fight breaks out.
Dvalishvili accused the group of attacking him and a friend while they were outnumbered.
According to MMA journalist Ariel Helwani, those involved were reportedly detained for police questioning, although no formal charges have been confirmed.
Both camps were in Abu Dhabi ahead of the November 14 Real American Freestyle wrestling event.
What began as a sporting rivalry has now become a police matter, with both sides offering very different explanations of who started the trouble.
