UFC Star Ilia Topuria Goes Off on Usman Nurmagomedov After Merab Dvalishvili Attack
UFC star Ilia Topuria has condemned Usman Nurmagomedov and the group that attacked Merab Dvalishvili in Abu Dhabi this week.
With much of the attention of the MMA world centered on New York City ahead of Saturday's UFC 334 event at Madison Square Garden, yesterday saw this weekend's Real American Freestyle Event in Abu Dhabi also get some extra spotlight for all the wrong reasons.
Scheduled to take place at the Etihad Arena, RAF Abu Dhabi is loaded with a number of current and former MMA stars, including ex-UFC bantamweight titleholder Dvalishvili and his former opponent Umar Nurmagomedov.
Ilia Topuria Lights Up Usman Nurmagomedov After Viral Merab Dvalishvili Brawl
On Wednesday, Dvalishvili made headlines when he posted a video of himself and a friend receiving medical attention following an alleged attack from Usman Nurmagomedov (younger brother of Umar and cousin of Khabib) and others in Abu Dhabi.
Footage of the altercation itself later went viral following the initial post from "The Machine", and it didn't take long for Dvalishvili's countryman Topuria to weigh-in on the matter and sound off on Nurmagomedov and his group.
Usman has reportedly been detained, along with the cowards who were with him.
- Ilia Topuria (@Topuriailia) November 11, 2026
And these are the same people who dare to preach about humility and respect? What a disgrace. A bunch of absolute cowards.
I always thought you were a bunch of mediocre individuals. Now you've removed... https://t.co/crZZVzK2ae
"Usman has reportedly been detained, along with the cowards who were with him. And these are the same people who dare to preach about humility and respect? What a disgrace. A bunch of absolute cowards. I always thought you were a bunch of mediocre individuals. Now you've removed every last
doubt. Honor, respect, and humility aren't words you preach. They're values you live by. And you've shown none of them."
Merab Dvalishvili Defeat Umar Nurmagomedov in UFC 311 Title Defense
While Usman is currently a free agent after a title defense in July concluded his PFL contract and brought his perfect professional MMA record to 22-0, his brother Umar is currently one of the UFC's top-ranked bantamweight contenders.
Following an undefeated started to his own professional MMA career, Umar challenged Dvalishvili for the UFC bantamweight belt at UFC 311 and dropped a unanimous decision in a bout that took home "Fight of the Night" honors.
Dvalishvili went on to defend his bantamweight title twice more before relinquishing the belt to Petr Yan at UFC 323, while Umar rebounded from his first loss with back-to-back wins before he was knocked out by Song Yadong in a sizeable upset at UFC Shanghai in August.
Ilia Topuria Preparing for Highly-Anticipated UFC Return in 2027
Topuria only just recently re-entered the MMA spotlight himself, as the 29-year-old was also upset in the main event of UFC Freedom 250 when he stepped into the cage to try and defend his lightweight belt for the first time against Justin Gaethje.
Prior to that setback, Topuria was a perfect 17-0 in his career and had gone on a 9-0 run in the UFC that included knockout victories over future UFC Hall of Famers Alexander Volkanovski, Max Holloway, and Charles Oliveira in consecutive fights.
Fans are still patiently waiting to see if a rematch with Gaethje is up next for "The Matador", and if the UFC doesn't decide to go in that direction then it seems like there's considerable interest in a potential grudge match with top-ranked UFC lightweight contender Paddy Pimblett.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/fannation/mma as UFC Star Ilia Topuria Goes Off on Usman Nurmagomedov After Merab Dvalishvili Attack.