Former UFC champion Merab Dvalishvili involved in brawl with brother of rival

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Former UFC champion Merab Dvalishvili involved in brawl with brother of rival originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

Former UFC champion Merab Dvalishvili is claiming he was assaulted by MMA fighter Usman Nurmagomedov and members of Nurmagomedov's team before his scheduled RAF Abu Dhabi match.

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Dvalishvili posted an Instagram video of himself receiving medical attention Wednesday, and footage of the brawl quickly went viral, with Nurmagomedov's team evidently sneaking up behind Dvalishvili.

The situation quickly unraveled after Dvalishvili was slapped in the face, quickly erupting into punches and kicks.

Here's a look at the brawl and what Dvalishvili had to say in his first comments after the incident.

Merab Dvalishvili brawl video

Dvalishvili posted a video of himself receiving medical attention after he said he was attacked from behind.

"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," Dvalishvili said. "Security was holding me - They kept kicking us when we were down like losers."

Here's the footage of the massive brawl:

The video shows Dvalishvili being approached from behind and slapped before his team jumps in and engages in a brawl with Nurmagomedov's team.

UFC fighter Ilia Topuria, who shared the footage of the incident on social media, claimed Nurmagomedov has "reportedly been detained" following the brawl.

Nurmagomedov is the brother of Umar Nurmagomedov, who is a rival of Dvalishvili. Umar Nurmagomedov lost to Dvalishvili by unanimous decision at UFC 311 in early 2025.

Dvalishvili is scheduled to fight Marlon Moraes as part of RAF Abu Dhabi on Saturday.

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