Eight jailed after MMA fighters' hotel brawl in Abu Dhabi, including six from Nurmagomedov's team
Eight people have been sentenced to six months in prison following a hotel brawl involving Russian MMA fighter Usman Nurmagomedov and Georgian former UFC champion Merab Dvalishvili in Abu Dhabi.
Six members of Nurmagomedov's team, including the fighter himself, were each sentenced to six months in prison, fined 300,000 UAE dirhams (approximately $81,700) and ordered to be deported after serving their sentences, ESPN reported on November 13, citing the Abu Dhabi Judicial Department.
Two other people received six-month prison sentences for filming the altercation and publishing the footage, in violation of the UAE's privacy laws, according to the Emirati newspaper The National. The court ordered their phones confiscated so the recordings could be deleted.
Dvalishvili and a friend were each fined 50,000 dirhams (approximately $13,600) for disturbing public security and assaulting others.
The fight broke out on November 11 at a hotel hosting a Real American Fighting event in Abu Dhabi.
According to ESPN, Nurmagomedov approached Dvalishvili from behind and slapped him, triggering a larger confrontation between members of their respective teams.
Police detained those involved. Dvalishvili was subsequently released, according to Real American Fighting CEO Chad Bronstein.
The confrontation followed a long-running rivalry between the two camps. In January 2025, Dvalishvili defeated Umar Nurmagomedov, Usman's older brother, in a UFC bantamweight title fight. The rivalry continued with another confrontation at a wrestling event in Georgia in July.
Usman Nurmagomedov, 28, is a Professional Fighters League lightweight champion and cousin of retired UFC star Khabib Nurmagomedov.
UFC president Dana White condemned the hotel brawl during a news conference in New York.
"What a bunch of f---ing idiots," White said. "It's absolutely ridiculous and stupid, and they're all in jail. That is not a place to go f--- around."