Footage shows Russian approaching Georgian from behind before striking him ahead of RAF Abu Dhabi
Merab Dvalishvili was attacked by a group led by Usman Nurmagomedov while giving an interview in a hotel lobby ahead of this weekend's RAF Abu Dhabi.
A video posted by UFC fighter Ilia Topuria, since deleted, showed Dvalishvili talking to the camera when he is approached from behind by a group led by Nurmagomedov. The footage showed Dvalishvili turning to face the Russian, who struck him before a melee ensued.
Dvalishvili then posted an expletive-filled video on his social media channels after the incident while medics attended to his wounds. The Georgian had at least one cut to his head that left his face bloodied.
“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 wrote in a caption. “Security was holding me - they kept kicking us when we were down like losers.”
Dvalishvili is set to face Marlon Moraes on Saturday night as part of the RAF's first card in the Middle East.
It remains to be seen whether his injuries will prevent Dvalishvili from wrestling at Etihad Arena. The RAF has been contacted by The National for comment on the incident.
Dvalishvili, 35, has history with the Nurmagomedovs. In 2005, he beat Usman's older brother, Umar, at UFC 311 via unanimous decision to defend the UFC bantamweight title.
The rivalry has flared up again in recent months. Dvalishvili was involved in a scuffle with an associate of Umar’s ahead of UFC Georgia, leading to the two trading insults in the media.
Umar is also set to wrestle on Saturday's RAF Abu Dhabi card against Urijah Faber.
Usman, 28, is not on the card but frequently attends his brother's MMA and wrestling bouts.
Formerly a lightweight champion with the PFL, the Russian is now a free agent and is widely expected to sign with the UFC.
Dvalishvili returns to Abu Dhabi just weeks after fighting Petr Yan in the co-main event at UFC 333.
The Georgian lost by unanimous decision as Yan retained the bantamweight title.
- Steve Luckings
The attack on Merab in that Abu Dhabi hotel lobby was shocking, and it says a lot about how heated things have got between the two camps. I try to watch UFC fights online free whenever there is a big card on, and this whole saga has me checking for updates every day. Hope Merab recovers quickly and the RAF fight still goes ahead.
ReplyDeleteWild story, Merab is usually the one doing the pressuring, so seeing him come out of a hotel scuffle bloodied says a lot about how heated this Nurmagomedov rivalry has become. The UFC will have to book this fight now. Between MMA cards I keep up with the wrestling calendar on Watch Wrestling PPV Streaming Online so the big weekends stay covered. Thanks for the quick report on this one.
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