Usman Nurmagomedov and his associates involved in an ambush on Merab Dvalishvili in the lobby of an Abu Dhabi hotel were reportedly detained and questioned by police on Wednesday.
The attack happened as Dvalishvili was giving an interview in the lobby of the Yas Hilton hotel ahead of his upcoming appearance at RAF Abu Dhabi on Saturday.
In footage widely shared on social media, Nurmagomedov and his entourage can be seen approaching Dvalishvili while Dvalishvili was speaking to Saba Lazishvili.
Nurmagomedov says something to Dvalishvili before slapping him across the face. A brawl then ensues between Nurmagomedov and his associates on one side, and Dvalishvili and Lazishvili on the other.
Respected MMA journalist Ariel Helwani wrote on X: "As of this writing, everyone involved in the hotel brawl is still being detained by the local authorities, I’m told."
UFC fighter Ilia Topuria, a close friend of Dvalishvili, posted on X that Nurmagomedov "has reportedly been detained, along with the cowards who were with him.
"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."
The National understands that Dvalishvili is not the one pressing charges. Police were alerted to the incident as it happened in public and was caught on camera.
The National is making its own enquiries to verify the reports.
Dvalishvili posted several videos on his social media channels after the incident. The Georgian is seen being treated by a medic for a cut to his face.
“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 in a Catchweight Crossover match at Etihad Arena on Saturday night as part of the RAF's first card in the Middle East.
The RAF has been contacted by The National for comment. A representative said officials will address the incident at Thursday's pre-match press conference.
Nurmagomedov is not on the RAF Abu Dhabi card but is there to support his older brother, Umar, who is slated to face Urujah Faber.
Usman is a mixed martial artist of world renown and the most sought-after free agent in the sport, having run down his contract with the PFL.
The Russian, 28, is unbeaten in his MMA career, winning 22 of his 23 fights, with one deemed a no contest.
Usman's last fight was in July, when he scored a first-round knockout over Archie Colgan to defend his PFL lightweight title.
He turned down a reported offer of $2 million to re-sign with the PFL. A 90-day exclusive negotiating period expired on October 29, leaving Usman a free agent. He is expected to sign with the UFC.
When asked about the possibility of signing Usman last month, UFC president Dana White told The National, "We're interested".
Dvalishvili, 35, has history with the Nurmagomedovs. In 2005, he beat Umar at UFC 311 by 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.
