UFC Star Merab Dvalishvili Left Bloodied After Alleged Attack From Usman Nurmagomedov
Former UFC titleholder Merab Dvalishvili claims he and a friend were attacked by a group led by Usman Nurmagomedov ahead of this weekend's RAF Abu Dhabi card.
While UFC 334 at Madison Square Garden is dominating the attention of much of the combat sports world this week, Real American Freestyle also has a star-studded card scheduled for Saturday at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, UAE.
The main event features former UFC middleweight titleholders Khamzat Chimaev and Chris Weidman, who is stepping in on short notice to compete following the withdrawal of Chimaev's original opponent Colby Covington.
UFC Star Merab Dvalishvili Details Attack From Usman Nurmagomedov
Less than a month removed from his trilogy fight with Petr Yan at UFC 333, Dvalishvili is also scheduled to return to action at RAF Abu Dhabi and wrestle former WSOF champion and UFC title challenger Marlon Moraes.
It looks as if that matchup may be in serious jeopardy now, as Dvalishvili took to social media on Wednesday to share a video of himself and his friend getting medical attention after apparently being jumped by Usman Nurmagomedov and several others.
Holy smokes. This is madness. https://t.co/vDFlJWYorB
- Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) November 11, 2026
"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, bro? If you want to talk or fight, let's do like real way bro."
Merab Dvalishvili Defeated Usman's Brother Umar Nurmagomedov in UFC Title Fight
Dvalishvili previously shared the cage with Usman's brother Umar at UFC 311, where "The Machine" defended his bantamweight belt for the first time and also handed Umar his first professional loss when he won a unanimous decision in a bout that took home "Fight of the Night" honors.
Umar recently suffered just his second MMA loss when he was upset by Song Yadong at UFC Shanghai in August, and the 30-year-old is also scheduled to meet UFC Hall of Famer Urijah Faber as part of RAF Abu Dhabi on Saturday.
Usman is presumably in Abu Dhabi to support his brother, but now it remains to be seen what kind of fallout there might be for both the RAF card and also the undefeated fighter's potential UFC aspirations after Dvalishvili's video.
Usman Nurmagomedov Moved to 22-0 in Final PFL Title Fight
A cousin of UFC Hall of Famer Khabib Nurmagomedov as well as the younger brother of Umar, Usman boasts a perfect 22-0 record in professional MMA.
The 28-year-old initially rose to stardom during his run with Bellator MMA, where he won and defended the Bellator lightweight belt twice before he also defeated Paul Hughes at PFL Champions Series 1 in 2025.
After defeating Hughes in a rematch to claim the vacant PFL lightweight belt, Nurmagomedov defended his title with back-to-back stoppages of Alfie Davis and Archie Colgan and is currently a free agent.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/fannation/mma as UFC Star Merab Dvalishvili Left Bloodied After Alleged Attack From Usman Nurmagomedov.