Cormier, Abdelaziz, and Dana White All Condemn Nurmagomedov Attack on Merab
The biggest names in combat sports are lining up to condemn Usman Nurmagomedov after his hotel attack on Merab Dvalishvili.
The fallout from Usman Nurmagomedov's attack on Merab Dvalishvili in an Abu Dhabi hotel lobby continues to grow, with some of the biggest names in combat sports lining up to condemn the PFL lightweight champion.
Daniel Cormier, who trained for years alongside Usman's cousin Khabib Nurmagomedov at American Kickboxing Academy, held nothing back in a video posted to his YouTube channel on Thursday. "I saw Usman Nurmagomedov and a group of guys jump Merab Dvalishvili. Watching that was actually very sad," Cormier said, per Fighters Only.
Cormier made it clear he would not protect his Dagestani training partners on this one. "I'm not trying to spin and protect anything. Bad behavior is bad behavior," he said. "Usman is going to find himself in real big trouble for this. And deservedly so, you can't do that."
He also pointed to a pattern of behavior. "Usman has to control himself. Now it's been multiple times. Jumping in the ring, and now this," Cormier said, referencing Nurmagomedov's cage jump at UFC Shanghai after his brother Umar was knocked out by Song Yadong earlier this year.
Nurmagomedov's own manager, Ali Abdelaziz, issued a public apology on his fighter's behalf. "I'm truly sorry, and it's embarrassing what happened," Abdelaziz told MMA Junkie, per Sherdog. "What happened was something unacceptable, and this is something that should never happen again."
UFC CEO Dana White piled on at the UFC 334 pre-fight press conference in New York, calling the brawl "absolutely ridiculous and stupid." White said all involved are now sitting in Abu Dhabi jail cells. "That is not a place to go f--k around," White added.
All parties involved in the brawl remain in custody with Abu Dhabi law enforcement. Nurmagomedov has been banned from attending this Saturday's Real American Freestyle event in Abu Dhabi, and it remains uncertain whether Dvalishvili will be able to compete against Marlon Moraes on the card.
I've been covering this Merab and Nurmagomedov saga all week, and every new detail makes it worse for Usman. DC coming out and saying "bad behavior is bad behavior" about guys he's been training with for over a decade tells you everything you need to know about how far out of line this was.
When your own manager goes on the record calling you embarrassing, you've lost the room. Ali Abdelaziz manages half the top fighters in the sport and he's not one to throw his guys under the bus. The fact that he's apologizing to an entire city on Usman's behalf is as bad a sign as you'll get.
The real question now is what happens when they get out. Abu Dhabi doesn't play around with this stuff, and Dana White made that crystal clear at the presser. Usman already had the cage jump on his record. If he picks up any kind of charge here, his career could be in serious trouble. And honestly? He brought every bit of it on himself.
