Eight sentenced to jail over Nurmagomedov-Dvalishvili Abu Dhabi hotel brawl

Eight people have been sentenced to prison time following a mass brawl involving mixed martial arts fighters Usman Nurmagomedov and Merab Dvalishvili at a hotel in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday. The incident, which occurred at the Yas Hilton, involved the fighters and members of their respective teams. Abu Dhabi police subsequently confirmed that 10 arrests were made in connection with the altercation.

According to a statement released by the Abu Dhabi Judicial Department on Friday, all 10 defendants have been convicted. Reports indicate that six of the defendants received six-month prison sentences, fines of approximately £62,000 (300,000 dirhams), and will face deportation after serving their time. They were convicted for "disturbing public security, causing panic and endangering lives".

Two other individuals were handed identical six-month sentences and deportation orders for "violating privacy by using information technology to film and publish footage of the brawl". In these cases, the court also ordered the confiscation of phones and the deletion of the video content. The remaining two defendants were fined £10,200 (50,000 dirhams) each for "disturbing public security and assaulting others".

Video footage of the event appeared to show the 28-year-old Russian fighter Usman Nurmagomedov approaching the 35-year-old Georgian fighter Merab Dvalishvili from behind and slapping him. The altercation followed a previous dispute between the two camps at a Real American Freestyle (RAF) event in July. UFC champion Islam Makhachev, a training partner of the Nurmagomedovs, suggested this earlier history contributed to the Wednesday fight.

Following the incident, Dvalishvili, who was being interviewed in the hotel lobby at the time, posted social media videos showing his bloodied face and calling the opposing team "snakes". However, Real American Freestyle (RAF) co-founder Chad Bronstein confirmed that Dvalishvili had been released from custody. "I'm pleased to share that Merab Dvalishvili is back with us in Abu Dhabi," Bronstein said in a statement, adding, "We would like to express our sincere appreciation to the relevant authorities in Abu Dhabi for their professionalism and support. We remain focused on moving forward and are pleased to have Merab back with us."

Dvalishvili, who is scheduled to face Brazilian Marlon Moraes at an RAF event this Saturday, also released a statement on X. "Just want to let everyone know I have been released, and I am good, healthy and ready to go," he wrote. "I want to thank everyone in Abu Dhabi for your help in resolving this matter … I do hope that they release everyone; I would not press charges. I want peace and the best for all."

Usman Nurmagomedov, the PFL lightweight champion, was in Abu Dhabi to support his brother, Umar, who was set to compete against American Urijah Faber at the same Saturday event. Following the brawl, organisers removed Umar from the card and replaced him with Saba Lazishvili, a teammate of Dvalishvili who was also involved in the fight but appears to have been released. UFC president Dana White later described the altercation as "ridiculous" and "stupid", referring to the participants as "a bunch of idiots".