Abu Dhabi Police Confirm Eight Arrests After Merab-Usman Hotel Brawl
Police arrested eight people and banned two more for filming the hotel lobby fight between camps.
Abu Dhabi police have confirmed eight arrests stemming from the hotel lobby brawl between former UFC bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili and Bellator lightweight champion Usman Nurmagomedov earlier this week.
Police said two additional individuals were arrested for filming the altercation, bringing the total to ten people in custody. Authorities did not name those detained, leaving it unclear whether Dvalishvili or Nurmagomedov were among the eight, per Sherdog.
Footage that surfaced Wednesday appeared to show Nurmagomedov and several members of his team approaching Dvalishvili from behind while the Georgian fighter was giving an interview in the hotel lobby. Nurmagomedov appeared to strike Dvalishvili before a larger brawl broke out, leaving Dvalishvili bloodied.
The fallout has been swift. Real American Freestyle co-founder Chad Bronstein announced at Thursday's press conference that Nurmagomedov has been barred from attending RAF Abu Dhabi on Saturday. Dvalishvili is scheduled to face Marlon Moraes in a wrestling match at the event, while Umar Nurmagomedov is booked against Urijah Faber. Neither Dvalishvili nor Umar Nurmagomedov attended Thursday's presser, and their status for Saturday remains uncertain, per Sherdog.
The incident has drawn condemnation from across the sport. Daniel Cormier called the attack dangerous on his podcast, per BJPenn.com. PSG football star Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, a fellow Georgian, posted support for Dvalishvili and training partner Saba Lazishvili on Instagram, calling the ambush cowardly, per LowKick MMA. Israel Adesanya and Marvin Vettori also posted supportive comments.
Ten arrests. A champion barred from an event. Two more fighters in limbo for Saturday. This thing escalated from a lobby scrap to an international incident in about 48 hours, and honestly, I do not think we have seen the worst of it yet.
The footage is damning. You can argue about who started what on social media, but walking up on a guy from behind while he is doing an interview is not a fight. That is an ambush. And the fact that Abu Dhabi police moved this fast tells you the local authorities are not playing around.
I said it when the first video dropped: this feud between the Dagestani and Georgian camps has real heat behind it, the kind that does not cool down with a statement from management. If the UFC and PFL do not step in with actual consequences, somebody is going to get seriously hurt outside the cage. The sport does not need that.
KEEP TALKING FIGHTS.
MMAMerab Dvalishvili Freed From Detention and Set to Fight at RAF Abu Dhabi
MMACormier, Abdelaziz, and Dana White All Condemn Nurmagomedov Attack on Merab
MMAMerab Dvalishvili Still Detained in Abu Dhabi After Nurmagomedov Ambush
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