Eight sentenced to prison after Abu Dhabi brawl, including two who filmed it

Usman reportedly belongs to that six-person group. Sport-Express identifies him as sentenced to six months, fined 300,000 UAE dirhams and ordered deported after imprisonment. But the Abu Dhabi Judicial Department’s announcement does not name the defendants. The court outcome is established; the complete official allocation of penalties to individual fighters is not.⁠1⁠85

In our November 13 report, we said police had announced 10 arrests and a referral to prosecutors, while Dvalishvili’s release and Saturday wrestling appearance remained unresolved. The case has since produced 10 convictions. Dvalishvili has been released—and on November 14, he returned to competition and won.⁠10⁠85⁠108

The Criminal Court divided the defendants into three groups. Six received six months in prison and fines of AED 300,000 each for disturbing public security, causing panic and endangering lives. Their deportation orders take effect after they serve their sentences. Two others received AED 50,000 fines each for related offences including disturbing public security and assaulting another person’s bodily integrity.⁠7

The ninth and tenth defendants were convicted of violating privacy by using information technology to film and publish the brawl. Each received six months in prison, an AED 300,000 fine and deportation after imprisonment. The court also ordered the phones used confiscated and the footage deleted. Ten convictions therefore means eight prison sentences, not 10.⁠7⁠85

AED 300,000 is approximately US$82,000; AED 50,000 is about $13,600. Different rounded dollar equivalents in coverage describe the same dirham penalties, not competing sentences. And an order for deportation after imprisonment does not establish that anyone has already been removed from the country.⁠1⁠3⁠85

Sport-Express and detikSport identify Usman as receiving the larger penalty, and Dvalishvili and his friend Saba Lazishvili as receiving the smaller fines and being released without prison sentences. There is also a naming problem in the coverage: Fox News/OutKick’s November 14 account links its reference to “Nurmagomedov” facing prison to a discussion of Umar, Usman’s older brother. That is not a secure basis for assigning Umar a sentence. The official announcement supplies no named list to resolve the discrepancy.⁠1⁠5⁠2⁠85

No full named judgment, case number or appeal ruling has been established in the available evidence. Nor is there a confirmed suspension or stay. Those limits do not erase the convictions; they prevent an unnamed group announcement from becoming an official individual judgment against everyone mentioned in the fight coverage.

The confrontation happened on Wednesday, November 11, during Dvalishvili’s Real American Freestyle interview in the lobby of the hotel described as the Yas Hilton on Yas Island. Video accounts show Usman approaching from behind and slapping him before the melee. Dvalishvili subsequently appeared with a bloodied face receiving treatment.⁠9⁠3

Dvalishvili’s allegation goes further than that visible sequence. He said men punched and kicked him and his young friend, and that security held him while the attack continued. He named Umar among the group. The slap and ensuing fighting do not independently establish every alleged blow, Umar’s precise actions or the complete lead-up.⁠85⁠2

The date errors in coverage deserve correction, not speculation. BILD’s November 12 report gives Wednesday, November 11. The Times of India’s November 12 account pairs November 11 with Thursday; detikSport’s November 13 sentencing report prints “Wednesday (11/12/2026).” November 11, 2026 was Wednesday, consistent with the subsequent National and Al Jazeera accounts. The convictions were public by Friday, November 13, although the reports do not consistently supply the exact ruling time.⁠9⁠10⁠5⁠85⁠3

An early description that Usman was also there to compete was wrong. He had no wrestling match booked: he travelled to support Umar, who had been scheduled against Urijah Faber.⁠9⁠85

A response has emerged from Usman’s manager, though not an authenticated personal account from either brother. Ali Abdelaziz apologized on November 12 on behalf of himself and his team. In an MMA Junkie interview quoted by Bloody Elbow, he called the incident “unacceptable,” said both parties were wrong and said athletes’ emotions were no excuse. He described Usman as trying to defend his brother while acknowledging that the confrontation could have been handled differently. That is the manager’s explanation, not a court finding about individual conduct.⁠138

The dispute has sporting history: Dvalishvili defeated Umar by unanimous decision at UFC 311 in January 2025, and another confrontation involving an associate of Umar followed at RAF Georgia in July 2026. Dvalishvili now says the Georgia dispute ended with a handshake. He has also rejected making this hostility toward Dagestani people. Neither earlier confrontation proves the motive for the hotel attack or justifies collective blame.⁠85⁠3⁠135

RAF chief executive Chad Bronstein announced Dvalishvili’s return on Friday, November 13, thanking the Abu Dhabi authorities. Dvalishvili separately said he had been released and was healthy and ready to compete. Saturday publication dates on subsequent reports do not move that announcement forward a day.⁠85⁠3

He repeated that position in a conversation with Chris Weidman, saying they were trying to help get the others released. His wishes are now clear. A formal complaint, waiver or settlement changing the prosecution’s position is not established, however, and his public appeal alone cannot be treated as cancellation of the announced convictions.⁠135

RAF’s sporting decisions are clearer. Usman had already been barred from attending the November 14 event. On Friday, the promotion removed Umar from the card and replaced him with Lazishvili, Dvalishvili’s 21-year-old Georgian friend. Umar’s removal was a sporting consequence, not proof of a particular criminal penalty.⁠138⁠3⁠117

Both relevant matches took place on November 14 at Etihad Arena. Dvalishvili defeated Marlon Moraes by a first-period pin, reported at about 90 seconds, after conceding early points. Lazishvili defeated Faber 12–7, recovering with a third-period takedown and repeated turns. These were completed matches, not merely bookings or promises to appear.⁠153⁠108⁠150⁠117

Competition answers whether Dvalishvili stepped onto the mat. It does not supply a published medical assessment, diagnosis or clearance report. Likewise, the card changes settle who wrestled Faber, not every participant’s legal status.