The Abu Dhabi Criminal Court has convicted 10 people in connection with a violent altercation in a Yas Island hotel between Usman Nurmagomedov, his associates, and Merab Dvalishvili.
Six defendants were sentenced to six months in prison, fined Dh300,000 each and ordered to be deported after serving their sentences for disturbing public security, causing panic and endangering lives, Abu Dhabi Judicial Department said in a statement.
Two others were fined Dh50,000 each for “disturbing public security and assaulting others”.
The remaining two people involved in the brawl were sentenced to six months in prison, fined Dh300,000 each and ordered to be deported “for violating privacy by using information technology to film and publish footage of the brawl”.
The court also ordered the confiscation of their phones and deletion of the footage.
The incident took place on Wednesday, when mixed martial arts fighter Dvalishvili, who was scheduled to appear at RAF Abu Dhabi on Saturday, was in the middle of an interview in the lobby of the Yas Hilton.
He was approached by Nurmagomedov and his associates. A fight ensued and footage of the incident was shared widely on social media.
Nurmagomedov was not scheduled to feature at RAF Abu Dhabi card but was in the capital to support his older brother, Umar, who is slated to face Urujah Faber.
Dvalishvili was scheduled to face Marlon Moraes in a Catchweight Crossover match at Etihad Arena on Saturday night as part of the RAF's first card in the Middle East.
After the incident, Dvalishvili posted several videos on his social media channels.
“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, 35, has history with the Nurmagomedovs. In 2025, he beat Umar at UFC 311 by unanimous decision to defend the UFC bantamweight title.
The rivalry flared up again in recent months. Dvalishvili was involved in an altercation with an associate of Umar’s ahead of RAF Georgia, leading to the two trading insults.
Later on Friday, RAF CEO and founder Chad Bronstein said that Dvalishvili was back with the team in Abu Dhabi and thanked the authorities for their support.
“I am pleased to share that Merab Dvalishvili is back with us in Abu Dhabi. We would like to express our sincere appreciation to the relevant authorities in Abu Dhabi for their professionalism and support. We remain focused on moving forward and are pleased to have Merab back with us,” Bronstein said in a statement.
