Footage Emerges of Merab Dvalishvili Getting Jumped by Usman Nurmagomedov
Footage has emerged of Usman Nurmagomedov attacking Merab Dvalishvili in a cowardly manner ahead of Merab's RAF fight.
News broke earlier today that Merab Dvalishvili had been jumped by Usman Nurmagomedov ahead of his RAF bout this weekend with Marlon Morales.
Since the news broke, footage has emerged showing the full scuffle between the groups of fighters.
There are two angles of the brawl between the teams. Firstly, filmed by (presumably) a member of Nurmagomedov's team. The footage shows Usman approach Merab from behind and land a hard slap on the former bantamweight champion.
A member of Usman's entourage can be seen turning his cap backwards, seemingly preparing for what will happen next. The same man then lands the first blow, kicking Merab, which leads to the eventual brawl.
The second angle is from Merab's point of view. It shows the same scuffle but from a different perspective. The Georgian has since confirmed that Umar Nurmagomedov was part of the crew that attacked him. The two men fought for the bantamweight title at UFC 311.
Reaction to Usman Nurmagomedov's Attack
It's really very simple - Usman Nurmagomedov is a coward. This is a point backed up by current middleweight champion, Sean Strickland, who reacted to the attack on social media saying, "Usman Nurmagomedov is the definition of a bitch.. These guys all run around pretending to be hard but they all act like fucking dogs waiting to attack you when youre not looking...."
Usman wants to be signed by the UFC, it's the worst-kept secret in MMA. Having seen out his contract with the PFL, he's a free agent, but two incidents in recent months have put him in a terrible light. Firstly, he reacted badly to his brother, Umar, being flatlined by Song Yadong in August. Usman jumped the fence, disregarded the safety of anyone in the octagon at the time and seemingly threw a spinning elbow at Yadong and was lucky that it narrowly missed.
This incident is further fuel to the fire that the UFC should steer well clear of Usman. He was a big fish in a small pond in the PFL, levels above anyone else. In the UFC, that might not be the case and the risk of him attacking fellow fighters or doing something cowardly again in the future is not worth the reward.
If Dana White is listening, don't pick up the phone.
