Bloodied Merab Dvalishvili claims he was attacked by Team Nurmagomedov in disturbing Abu Dhabi video

Former UFC bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili claimed he was attacked by fellow MMA fighters Usman Nurmagomedov and Umar Nurmagomedov, along with several others, in a disturbing video posted Wednesday morning from Abu Dhabi.

In the video, Dvalishvili can be seen bleeding heavily from his face and with his left eye nearly swollen shut, being attended to by what appears to by medical personnel. Dvalishvili, accompanied by a friend who also has bruising all over his face, alleged the two Nurmagomedov brothers jumped them from behind in a hotel lobby with a group of several men.

Shortly afterward, former two-division UFC champion Ilia Topuria posted what appeared to be a video of the alleged attack, seemingly confirming Dvalishvili claims.

"You're a bunch of cowards, and you'll be held accountable for what you've done," Topuria wrote on his post, which has since been deleted. "You're anything but real men."

Dvalishvili and Umar Nurmagomedov are both in Abu Dhabi for Saturday's RAF freestyle wrestling event, with both men scheduled to compete on the card in separate matches. The two previously fought in January 2025 in a heated grudge match at UFC 311, where Dvalishvili ultimately defeated Nurmagomedov via unanimous decision to defend his UFC bantamweight title. They have continued to feud in the 23 months since.

Usman Nurmagomedov, Umar's younger brother, is a former Bellator and PFL lightweight champion who is currently an MMA free agent.

Dvalishvili's full comments:

"What a sneaky way, guys. Just two of us, me and my friend came here in Abu Dhabi, and Usman Nurmagomedov and his friends came like snakes from behind. What kind of fighters you guys are? What kind of man does this? If you want to talk or fight, let's do it like the real way. You guys came [from behind], just because there's two of us and, like, you guys were prepared. What the f***? We bleed, we fight, we war, but you guys are just sneaky guys. You guys are not real men. That shows your guys' character. That shows you guys are not real men. What the f***, guys? If you want to fight, fight. Let's f***ing fight. We are fighters, bro. I'm a real guy, I talk straight. But you guys came from behind, and I don't know how many guys it was — like, all your friends waiting for us in a sneaky way? Wow, bro. Wow, wow. I knew — I knew what kind of guys you were. I knew you guys."

"I just came here in Abu Dhabi, and then Usman, Umar and his friends came from a sneaky way from behind to try to beat us — so many guys. Wow. I'm fine, guys. All my friends and family, I'm f***ing fine. I'm a fighter and this is nothing for me. But again, it shows what kind of people you guys are. … Like 20 guys against two guys, and even when we were down, kicking us."

It is currently unclear whether Dvalishvili or Umar Nurmagomedov will remain on Saturday's RAF Abu Dhabi card. Dvalishvili is scheduled to wrestle Marlon Moraes, while Nurmagomedov is expected to wrestle UFC Hall of Famer Urijah Faber.

Uncrowned will update this story as it continues to develop.