Merab Dvalishvili’s feud with the Nurmagomedov family appears to have gone to a whole new level.
This Saturday, Dvalishvili is scheduled to wrestle Marlon Moraes at RAF Abu Dhabi, but his fight week is already off to an eventful start according to a video he posted to social media. Dvalishvili claims he and a friend were ambushed by former PFL champion and free agent Usman Nurmagomedov and ended up with “20 guys” attacking him in the middle of a pre-fight interview and leaving them bloodied.
“Was doing
an interview for RAF in hotel lobby and Usman and his buddies came up from behind and started punching me and my young friend,” Dvalishvili wrote in a caption. “Security was holding me – They kept kicking us when we were down like losers.”
Watch the clip below.
Dvalishvili and the Nurmagomedovs have had a rocky relationship ever since Dvalishvili and Umar Nurmagomedov were scheduled to fight at UFC 311 in January 2025. Following several months of heated build-up, Dvalishvili defeated Umar via unanimous decision to successfully defend the UFC bantamweight title, but the rivalry has flared up again in recent months. Dvalishvili was involved in a scuffle with an associate of Umar’s ahead of UFC Georgia, leading to the two trading insults in the media.
Now, it appears Umar’s brother younger brother Usman is leading the assault on Dvalishvili.
“What a sneaky way, just two of us, me and my friend came here in Abu Dhabi, and Usman Nurmagomedov and his friends came like snakes from behind,” Dvalishvili said in the video. “What kind of fighters you guys are? What kind of man does this? If you want to talk and fight, let’s do it the real way. You guys came from f*cking—just because there’s two of us, and you guys were prepared. What the f*ck?”
Dvalishvili also mentioned that Umar was involved in the alleged attack.
“We bleed, we fight, we war, but you guys are just sneaky guys,” Dvalishvili said. “You guys aren’t real men. This shows your guys’ character, shows you guys are not real men. What the f*ck, guys? If you want to fight, fight. Let’s f*cking fight. We are fighters. I talk, I’m a real guy, I talk straight, but you guys came from behind. I don’t know how many guys you was. All your friends, waiting for us in a sneaky way. Wow, bro. Wow. I knew what kind of guys you are.
“I just came here in Abu Dhabi and then Usman, Umar, and his friends came in a sneaky way and tried to beat us. So many guys.”
Neither Usman nor Umar have addressed Dvalishvili’s post yet.
For now, Dvalishvili appears to be fine, and his match with Moraes is still scheduled to take place Saturday. But it remains to be seen if his business with the Nurmagomedovs will escalate further this week or in the future.
“I’m fine,” Dvalishvili said. “All my friends and family, I’m f*cking fine, I’m a fighter. This is nothing for me. Again, it shows what kind of people you guys are.”
