Real American Freestyle could be moving forward with Merab Dvalishvili’s match after the former UFC champion was involved in a wild brawl in Abu Dhabi.
Dvalishvili is scheduled to wrestle Marlon Moraes at RAF Abu Dhabi this Saturday, but his fight week began with him being ambushed and left bruised and bloodied by a group led by former PFL champion Usman Nurmagomedov and UFC rival Umar Nurmagomedov. Footage of the attack quickly went viral, leading to widespread condemnation of the Nurmagomedovs from
the MMA community.
Usman, Umar, Dvalishvili, and all parties involved were reportedly arrested, leaving the status of Dvalishvili’s match in doubt. On Friday, RAF released a statement assuring fans that Dvalishvili is out of custody, though his status for Saturday’s bout is still to be confirmed.
See the statement below.
“I’m pleased to share that Merab Dvalishvili is back with us in Abu Dhabi,” RAF CEO and co-founder Chad Bronstein wrote in a statement. “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.”
RAF acted swiftly to condemn Usman’s actions, announcing at Thursday’s pre-event press conference that he is banned from Saturday’s event.
The attack on Dvalishvili stemmed from longstanding tensions with the Nurmagomedovs. Dvalishvili and Umar faced off at UFC 311 in January 2025, with Dvalishvili successfully defending the bantamweight title via unanimous decision. The two continued to trade shots in the media after, and eventually had a confrontation at RAF Georgia in August. That incident may have sparked Usman and Umar’s attack on Dvalishvili in Abu Dhabi.
Usman and others involved in the incident are reportedly facing up to six months of jail time. The undefeated fighter is currently a free agent coming off of a championship run in PFL’s lightweight division. It is not yet known how this incident might affect him potentially signing with the UFC.
