The RAF announced late Friday that 21-year-old Georgian Saba Lazishvili will replace Umar Nurmagomedov on the Abu Dhabi card this Saturday.
Lazishvili was in Abu Dhabi to accompany Merab Dvalishvili and was one of 10 people arrested and detained on Wednesday following an altercation in the lobby of the Yas Hilton hotel involving Usman Nurmagomedov.
Footage widely shared on social media shows Lazishvili filming Dvalishvili as Nurmagomedov and his associates approach the two Georgian wrestlers.
The Russian MMA fighter struck Dvalishvili before a mass brawl ensued.
The Abu Dhabi Criminal Court convicted all 10 people in connection with the violent altercation.
Dvalishvili posted videos on his social media channels following the attack, with both him and Lazishvili displaying cuts to their faces.
The RAF said Lazishvili is a lifelong wrestling fan who will make his professional debut against UFC legend Urijah Faber at Etihad Arena on Saturday.
The organisation confirmed that Dvalishvili, 35, will also compete against his original opponent, Marlon Moraes.
Six of the 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, believed to be Dvalishvili and Lasishvili, 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.
