Usman Nurmagomedov will not be allowed to attend RAF Abu Dhabi on Saturday.
On Wednesday, video surfaced of Nurmagomedov and members of his team walking up on Merab Dvalishvili while doing an interview, before the PFL lightweight champ struck the former UFC bantamweight champ with a surprising shot. Then chaos ensued with an all-out brawl.
Thus far, RAF had been silent on the matter, but during Thursday’s press conference, RAF co-founder Chad Bronstein gave a statement about the matter, and answered
a couple of questions from media members about the incident. Bronstein said that the promotion doesn’t condone the extracurricular activities, and it was an unfortunate incident. Bronstein added that Nurmagomedov would not be allowed to attend the event.
“We’re hoping that the situation gets resolved, sooner than later,” Bronstein said at the press conference. “And obviously, Usman will not be attending our event on Saturday night.”
Additionally, the status of Dvalishvili and Umar Nurmagomedov — who was also involved in the brawl — is unknown for Saturday’s card. Dvalishvili is slated to face Marlon Moraes, while Nurmagomedov is scheduled to take on Urijah Faber at the promotion’s first event in Abu Dhabi. Neither of the two UFC bantamweights appeared at the press conference.
A decision is expected to be made over the next day or two while the promotion works out the details of the situation.
