Abu Dhabi court jails eight over Nurmagomedov-Dvalishvili hotel brawl

An Abu Dhabi court on Friday, November 13, convicted 10 people over Wednesday's hotel brawl between former UFC bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili and the Nurmagomedov camp. Eight got six months in prison, a Dh300,000 fine (about $81,700) and deportation afterwards, the Abu Dhabi Judicial Department said, per The National. The court did not name any of the defendants.

Six of the eight were convicted of disturbing public security, causing panic and endangering lives. ESPN reports that all six are members of Team Nurmagomedov. The other two were jailed "for violating privacy by using information technology to film and publish footage of the brawl," in the court's words. According to Gulf News, their phones were confiscated and the footage is to be deleted.

Usman Nurmagomedov, the unbeaten PFL lightweight champion, is reported to be among the six jailed. TASS cited an unnamed source, and Uncrowned and CBS Sports report the same. The court has not confirmed it, and as of Friday evening Usman had made no public statement.

Two more defendants were fined Dh50,000 (about $13,600) each for "disturbing public security and assaulting others," with no prison term. ESPN and Uncrowned identify them as Dvalishvili and a friend. Uncrowned names the friend as Saba Lazishvili, 21. Both were released from a UAE detention centre early Friday, RAF CEO Chad Bronstein said in a statement shared by Ariel Helwani.

What happened

The fight broke out on Wednesday, November 11, in the lobby of the Yas Hilton, according to The National. Dvalishvili says he was doing an interview for Real American Freestyle (RAF) when "Usman and his buddies came up from behind and started punching me," he said in a video on X, according to MMASucka. Footage described by Gulf News appeared to show Usman approaching him mid-interview and striking him.

"Security was holding me – they kept kicking us when we were down like losers," Dvalishvili wrote afterwards, per The National. Police arrested and detained everyone involved, ESPN reported.

Usman, who was not on the card, was in town to support his older brother Umar, booked to wrestle Urijah Faber.

Islam Makhachev blamed Dvalishvili, posting on Wednesday that "whatever happened today, was started by Merab," according to Uncrowned. He was pointing to RAF Georgia in July, when Akhmed Gadzhimagomedov, a Nurmagomedov training partner, confronted Dvalishvili and got slapped, and a scuffle followed.

The camps have been at odds since UFC 311 in January 2025, when Dvalishvili defended his bantamweight title against Umar by unanimous decision. Umar went in a −273 favourite, about a 70% chance, so the result was a clear upset (our fight page). Dvalishvili, now 21-6, defended twice more before losing the belt to Petr Yan in December 2025 and the rematch on October 24. He has no UFC fight booked (our fighter page).

Reactions

Dvalishvili posted on Friday: "I do hope that they release everyone - i would not press charges," Uncrowned reported.

Usman's manager, Ali Abdelaziz, apologised to Abu Dhabi. "I'm truly sorry, and it's embarrassing what happened," he told MMA Junkie, as relayed by Sherdog.

Dana White spoke on Thursday in New York, before the verdict. "What a bunch of f---ing idiots," he said, per ESPN.

What comes next

RAF Abu Dhabi is on Saturday, November 14, at Etihad Arena, and Uncrowned and ESPN report it is going ahead. RAF is a wrestling promotion, not MMA. Dvalishvili is still expected to face Marlon Moraes, and Lazishvili replaces Umar against Faber.

As of Friday evening, no appeal, pardon or early release had been reported. Uncrowned says it "remains to be seen" whether the authorities will act on Dvalishvili's call to free the men.

Usman is 22-0 with one no contest. His July 31 knockout of Archie Colgan was the last fight on his PFL contract, according to Wikipedia. ESPN says there had been speculation he would sign with the UFC.

We think the bigger cost, if the reports are right, is time: a full term would keep him out until roughly May, about 10 months after the Colgan fight. A conviction, if confirmed, would also follow him into any UFC talks.