Abu Dhabi court sentences eight people to prison over hotel brawl involving MMA fighters

Jail Sentences

Six members of Team Nurmagomedov and two others have received six-month prison sentences in Abu Dhabi following a hotel brawl with former UFC champion Merab Dvalishvili. The altercation began on Wednesday at the host hotel of a Real American Fighting event when 28-year-old PFL lightweight champion Usman Nurmagomedov walked up behind Dvalishvili and slapped him. Usman is the cousin of retired MMA legend Khabib Nurmagomedov. The slap sparked a larger fight between members of both camps, leading police to detain everyone involved. According to the Abu Dhabi Judicial Department, the six members of Nurmagomedov's team must also pay a fine of 300,000 AED, which is about $81,700, and face deportation after serving their prison terms. Two other individuals who filmed the incident received matching six-month sentences for breaking privacy laws by recording and sharing the footage, and the court confiscated their phones to delete the videos.

Fines And Reactions

The National reports that Merab Dvalishvili and a friend received fines of 50,000 AED, roughly $13,600, for disturbing public security and hitting others. Dvalishvili shared a social media post on Friday confirming his release and stating that he feels healthy and ready to compete. He added that he hopes everyone else involved gets released and mentioned he will not press charges because he wants peace. RAF CEO Chad Bronstein confirmed Dvalishvili's release and thanked Abu Dhabi authorities for their help. UFC CEO Dana White criticized the fighters during a New York news conference, calling them a bunch of foolish idiots and noting that jail is not the place to mess around. Bad blood between the two sides has grown since Dvalishvili beat Umar Nurmagomedov, Usman's older brother, in a January 2025 bantamweight title fight, which was followed by a smaller fight at an RAF event in Georgia in July.

Fight Card Changes

Umar Nurmagomedov was supposed to wrestle former UFC champion Urijah Faber at the Saturday RAF event in Abu Dhabi at Etihad Arena, but he was replaced by Dvalishvili's 21-year-old Georgian friend Saba Lazishvili, who fought in the hotel brawl. Fox News noted that Dvalishvili praised Lazishvili for stepping up and fighting both Nurmagomedov brothers during the ambush. Dvalishvili will still fight his own scheduled match against former UFC champion Marlon Moraes. Usman Nurmagomedov recently finished his exclusive PFL contract, leading to talk about a potential move to the UFC.

Context

Major combat sports events often feature intense rivalries between fighter camps that can occasionally spill over outside the cage. Local authorities in host cities like Abu Dhabi strictly enforce public safety and privacy laws regarding physical altercations and unauthorized recording in public spaces.