Merab Dvalishvili and Saba Lazishvili turned an extraordinary week in Abu Dhabi into a memorable night on the wrestling mat, with both claiming victories at RAF's inaugural Middle East event less than 24 hours after being released following their arrests over a mass brawl at their hotel.
Dvalishvili, who was involved in a violent altercation with Usman Nurmagomedov and members of his entourage at the Yas Hilton hotel on Wednesday, pinned former UFC rival Marlon Moraes in the first period of their catchweight contest at Etihad Arena on Saturday.
Lazishvili, meanwhile, produced one of the night's biggest upsets, defeating UFC Hall of Famer Urijah Faber 12-7 after being drafted onto the card as a replacement for Umar Nurmagomedov.
Their participation was in doubt after both Georgians were among 10 people arrested following the hotel incident. The Abu Dhabi Criminal Court subsequently convicted eight of those involved, with Dvalishvili and Lazishvili fined Dh50,000 each and released. Usman Nurmagomedov and several others received six-month prison sentences.
RAF chief executive Chad Bronstein said he was struck by the determination of both fighters to compete. He and RAF executive Eric Bischoff had helped secure their release and met the pair afterwards.
“We picked them up from jail yesterday [Friday], and we met both Merab and Saba in Abu Dhabi. We did a great job of helping with the release,” Bronstein said at the post-match press conference.
“We were sitting in the waiting area, and both of them said, 'Hey, we want to wrestle tomorrow'. I was shocked. Saba was shocked. Merab was like, 'I'm ready to go'.
“It was pretty amazing that both of them stepped on the mat and competed today because for 48 hours they couldn't train.”
For Dvalishvili, the victory over Moraes was another chapter in a rivalry that dates back to their UFC careers. The Georgian took control of the contest and secured the pin after just 90 seconds of the opening period, showing little sign of the physical ordeal he had endured earlier in the week.
The 35-year-old former UFC bantamweight champion received a rapturous welcome from the crowd and was quick to acknowledge the support.
“I'm very grateful for the people who cheered for me,” he said. “Of course, it's very important.”
The cheers for his victory were in stark contrast to the jeers he received at the same arena only three weeks ago when he faced Russia's Petr Yan in the co-main event at UFC 333.
“Even when I was competing, I had so much support in the arena from Georgians and other people from Abu Dhabi. I always feel love and support and welcome here. It's a great place for sport.
“Abu Dhabi has always supported sport, and now we have RAF here, we have the UFC, and this is amazing. When the crowd cheers for you, it's like a motivation song.”
The incident involving Nurmagomedov had threatened to overshadow RAF's first event in the Middle East. Dvalishvili had been filming for his social media channels in the hotel lobby when the confrontation broke out, with footage subsequently circulating widely on social media.
Dvalishvili posted videos after he and Lazishvili were treated by a medic for cuts to their faces.
Abu Dhabi Police arrested 10 people in connection with the incident. Nurmagomedov and five others were sentenced to six months in prison, fined Dh300,000 each and ordered to be deported after serving their sentences. Two others were also jailed for filming and publishing footage of the incident.
Dvalishvili and Lazishvili were fined Dh50,000 each and released.
Despite the ordeal, Dvalishvili was keen to draw a line under the incident rather than revisit the confrontation. Dvalishvili had called on Abu Dhabi authorities to release Nurmagomedov immediately following his victory over Moraes.
“I don't want to talk about this fight. Whatever happened, it's happened,” he said at the press conference, before thanking RAF and Abu Dhabi for their hospitality.
“We have a great show, RAF, and I'm sure we will come here more and more. People who can't come to the US, we will have a great show here in Abu Dhabi.”
For Lazishvili, the week had been equally surreal. The 21-year-old arrived in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday, expecting to accompany his friend and training partner. By Saturday, he had been arrested, released from custody, drafted onto a major wrestling card and beaten one of the most recognisable names in MMA.
“I don't know what to say. We arrived on the Monday, then all this crazy stuff happened. So it was unexpected,” he said.
After his comeback win over Faber, which earned him Performance of the Night, Lazishvili said he hoped to become a UFC champion one day.
"To be honest, since my childhood, I always wanted to compete in MMA, and I was seeing myself always as a champion," he said.
His victory over Faber was particularly significant given the circumstances. Lazishvili had been brought in to replace Umar Nurmagomedov, whose place on the card was removed following the incident involving his brother Usman.
For RAF, the drama did little to dampen the occasion. The organisation's first event in the Middle East drew a sell-out crowd, a response Bronstein believes underlined the region's appetite for wrestling.
“This region loves wrestling. I mean, we saw it tonight,” he said. “It's the first time RAF has ever come to the Middle East, and we sold out the arena. I think that says a lot about what this region wants and what we want to do with Abu Dhabi.”
Earlier, Arman Tsarukyan dominated Neiman Gracie to retain the RAF Middleweight Crossover Championship while Khamzat Chimaev secured the Lightweight Crossover belt with an easy victory over Chris Weidman.
But after a week dominated by controversy, arrests and uncertainty, Dvalishvili and Lazishvili ensured the lasting memory of the night belonged to them.
