Eight people arrested after Abu Dhabi hotel brawl; Usman Nurmagomedov barred from RAF event
Abu Dhabi police say they have arrested eight people in response to the hotel brawl involving former UFC bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili and PFL lightweight champion Usman Nurmagomedov, among others.
- "And obviously, Usman will not be attending our event on Saturday night." The brawl involving Dvalishvili and the Nurmagomedov brothers comes after months of hostility between the two camps.
- Bronstein did say that, regardless of whether the matches move forward, Usman Nurmagomedov would not be welcome at the event.
- Dvalishvili is in Abu Dhabi to wrestle former WSOF bantamweight champion Marlon Moraes at Saturday's event.
UFC bantamweight Umar Nurmagomedov — the brother of Usman Nurmagomedov, who could be seen slapping Dvalishvili at the start of the hotel brawl — is also slated to wrestle UFC Hall of Famer Urijah Faber at the same event.
According to a social media post by Abu Dhabi police, eight people were later arrested, including those who filmed the incident.
- Neither fighter was present at Thursday's RAF press conference, according to MMA Fighting, and RAF co-founder Chad Bronstein said he did not yet know what the status of those matches might be.
- Video of the incident emerged online Wednesday, along with a video message showing a bloodied Dvalishvili claiming he was attacked from behind by Nurmagomedov and several other men.
- The two sides have engaged in a war of words ever since, though this week's incident was the most consequential clash yet, leaving several people visibly bruised and bloodied.
- Dvalishvili defeated the elder brother, Umar, in a UFC bantamweight title clash early last year.
- "We're hoping that the situation gets resolved, sooner than later," Bronstein said on Thursday.
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