Dvalishvili bloodied in Abu Dhabi hotel lobby three days before RAF bout, and nobody in charge has said what happens next

This is what Dvalishvili says happened. He was in Abu Dhabi filming a promotional interview for RAF, the freestyle wrestling league he now competes in. "[I] 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," he wrote. "Security was holding me — they kept kicking us when we were down like losers." He later recorded a video while medics worked on him. He and his friend were both visibly bloodied and bruised in it.⁠4

The video evidence is less complete than the outrage suggests. Ilia Topuria, the former two-division UFC champion and a fellow Georgian, posted a clip and then deleted it. According to The National, it shows Dvalishvili talking to the camera as a group led by Usman Nurmagomedov comes up behind him. Dvalishvili turns to face Nurmagomedov, Nurmagomedov hits him, and a melee follows. Topuria's caption said: "You're a bunch of cowards, and you'll be held accountable for what you've done. You're anything but real men." Later the X account ACD MMA posted a longer cut. It called this the "full footage" and said it included "the originally edited out slap." Nobody has explained who threw that slap or why it was cut from the first version. Until someone does, the order of events is not settled.⁠3⁠4

Two things in Dvalishvili's own video complicate the simple version of events. First, he admitted his part in the feud: "I'm a real guy, I talk shit, but you guys came from behind." Second, he named a second brother late in the video: "Usman, Umar and his friends came in a sneaky way, so many guys." The descriptions of the footage focus on Usman. That one line is the only thing placing Umar Nurmagomedov there at all. Dvalishvili also said he did not know how many attackers there were ("I don't know how many guys you were"), while Fox News reported that at least six people were involved.⁠4⁠2

Accounts of his injuries also differ. The National reported at least one cut to his head that left his face bloodied. MMA Junkie and NDTV described blood from his nose and swelling around his left eye. Dvalishvili insisted he was fine: "I'm fine, guys, all my friends and family, I'm fine. I'm a f---ing fighter." But a fighter saying he is fine is not a medical clearance. No doctor's assessment or fitness update has been made public.⁠3⁠19⁠21

The police side of the story is the most disputed part. Topuria said Usman Nurmagomedov had been detained, as reported by boxingnews.com. Russia's TASS news agency, citing an unnamed source and as carried by Sovsport, reported that Nurmagomedov and everyone else involved in the fight had been detained in the UAE. Georgian outlet Fortuna.ge reported that Abu Dhabi Police held the participants at the scene, though the text we reviewed was cut off.⁠15⁠22⁠18

Ariel Helwani gave a different account, as reported by MiddleEasy. He said everyone involved was taken to a police station for questioning, which is not a formal arrest, and that Dvalishvili was reportedly not pressing charges. RMC Sport in France also described police questioning. All of these reports appeared on the same day. None of them is an update to another, and none comes from the police, who had issued no statement in any material we reviewed. So it is still unconfirmed whether anyone was arrested, and whether anyone will be charged.⁠16⁠17

Usman Nurmagomedov is the man at the center of all this, and his side is missing. We have not seen a response from him or his team. He is 28 and a former lightweight champion who fought under the Bellator and PFL banners. He is now a free agent, and The National describes him as widely expected to sign with the UFC. That makes his silence more significant than it would be for a fan in a hotel lobby.⁠3⁠4

This did not come out of nowhere. Dvalishvili is 35. In January 2025 he handed Umar Nurmagomedov his first professional loss, which left Umar at 18-1. Since then the rivalry has turned physical more than once, and not only from one side.⁠10⁠3

The family history matters too. Usman and Umar are cousins and students of Khabib Nurmagomedov. In 2018, after Khabib submitted Conor McGregor at UFC 229, he jumped out of the cage to attack Dillon Danis, which set off brawls inside and outside the Octagon. None of that is evidence about Wednesday. It does explain why fight fans assumed a group confrontation was believable before they had seen a single frame.⁠4

Being fair to the record means saying both things. Dvalishvili has said plenty and swung first at least once this year. Even so, nothing in a trash-talk feud excuses a group kicking two men on the floor, if that is what the full footage shows. That "if" will only be settled when the unedited video comes out and Usman gives his account.

As of Wednesday, MMA Fighting still listed Dvalishvili as scheduled to wrestle Moraes on Saturday. The National places the card at Etihad Arena, with Khamzat Chimaev also on it. Usman is not on the card, but The National notes that he often attends his brother's MMA and wrestling bouts. The National said it had contacted RAF for comment, and no public answer had appeared by the time we published.⁠20⁠3