Former UFC Champ Among Fighters in Abu Dhabi Hotel Brawl

WHO:

Fox News - Usman Nurmagomedov and Merab Dvalishvili were involved in a brawl at an Abu Dhabi hotel.

Fox News - Dvalishvili was described as a former UFC champion and was left bloodied.

TMZ - Dvalishvili was attacked by Usman Nurmagomedov and several other men during a media session.

CBS Sports - Dvalishvili, a former UFC bantamweight champion, accused Usman Nurmagomedov and others of assaulting him and his friend.

CBS Sports - Ilia Topuria, a former two-division UFC champion, uploaded a video of the attack.

CBS Sports - Dvalishvili said he and his friend were attacked by Usman Nurmagomedov’s team. He also named Umar Nurmagomedov among those who came with Usman and their friends.

CBS Sports - Usman Nurmagomedov is a free agent who was recently signed by the Professional Fighters League; before that, he was with Bellator.

CBS Sports - Usman and Umar Nurmagomedov are cousins and pupils of Khabib Nurmagomedov, a retired UFC champion and UFC Hall of Famer.

WHAT:

Fox News - Video showed Usman Nurmagomedov slapping Dvalishvili, sparking a melee that left Dvalishvili bloodied.

TMZ - The brawl was captured on video; Dvalishvili was described as bloodied and bruised.

CBS Sports - Dvalishvili said multiple people held him and his friend down while others struck them. He wrote: “[I] 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.”

CBS Sports - Topuria captioned the video: “You're a bunch of cowards, and you'll be held accountable for what you've done. You're anything but real men.”

CBS Sports - Dvalishvili said he was fine and described himself and his attackers in a video as fighters and warriors, while criticizing the alleged attack as sneaky and cowardly.

CBS Sports - Dvalishvili successfully defended his UFC bantamweight title against Umar Nurmagomedov by unanimous decision.

WHERE:

Fox News - The brawl occurred in an Abu Dhabi hotel lobby.

TMZ - The attack took place during a media session in Abu Dhabi.

CBS Sports - Dvalishvili said the incident occurred during an RAF media event and interview in a hotel lobby in Abu Dhabi.

WHEN:

CBS Sports - Dvalishvili and Umar Nurmagomedov had been tense since the lead-up to their January 2025 fight.

WHY:

CBS Sports - Dvalishvili said he and his friend were attacked from behind during an interview; the articles do not provide a confirmed motive.

HOW:

CBS Sports - Dvalishvili alleged that the attackers approached from behind, punched him and his friend, and continued kicking them while they were down; he said security held him.

CBS Sports - Khabib Nurmagomedov previously leaped into the crowd and attacked Dillon Danis after submitting Conor McGregor at UFC 229, prompting multi-person brawls inside and outside the Octagon.

A hotel-lobby brawl in Abu Dhabi left former UFC champion Merab Dvalishvili bloodied. Video showed Usman Nurmagomedov slapping Dvalishvili, sparking a melee during a media interview. Dvalishvili alleged several men punched and kicked him and his friend; he said he was fine.