Usman Nurmagomedov Accused of Leading Ambush on UFC's Merab Dvalishvili Ahead of RAF Abu Dhabi

Merab Dvalishvili’s rocky history with the Nurmagomedov camp has become a hot topic once again after the bloodied Georgian appeared in front of the camera with a new accusation.

Ahead of his return to the Real American Freestyle mat in Abu Dhabi, "The Machine" took to social media to accuse Umar’s younger brother Usman Nurmagomedov of attacking him and leaving him with wounds.

Merab Dvalishvili Details Alleged Lobby Attack by Usman Nurmagomedov and Group

In a video shared by Red Corner MMA on X, the 35-year-old former UFC champion was speaking while a medic treated the cuts on his face. He claimed Usman and his group attacked him during a media session in the hotel lobby.

"Was doing an interview for RAF in hotel lobby and Usman and his buddies came up from behind and started punching me and my young friend," Dvalishvili stated. "Security was holding me - They kept kicking us when we were down like losers."

The claim that security held him back is the most serious part of the allegation, though Dvalishvili has not shared any footage of the actual attack. Neither Usman nor Umar had commented publicly at the time of writing. This latest clash is only the newest chapter in a rivalry that has been building since last year. 

Dvalishvili retained his 135-pound UFC title against Umar at UFC 311 by unanimous decision, and the tension between them never cooled off. Instead, it carried forward to the RAF Georgia press conference in Tbilisi, where Dvalishvili rejected the idea of wrestling Umar under the RAF banner.

"No, never, f--- that guy," he said at the time. "Whoever RAF choose, I'll fight. Except this spoiled guy."

Umar's friend, Akhmed Gadzhimagomedov, took issue with those remarks. When he confronted Merab on stage, Dvalishvili slapped him, resulting in a scuffle until security separated both sides. Dvalishvili later stated that Umar and his manager were the only two people from Dagestan he disliked.

Now, Usman finds himself in that same bad blood right before a major turning point in his career. The reigning PFL lightweight champion became a free agent in July after closing out his contract with the PFL. 

The promotion reportedly offered him a $2 million contract, but he turned it down. His rejection led to speculation that he could soon follow his brother and cousin Khabib into the UFC.

Meanwhile, 'The Machine' has a lot to focus on ahead of Saturday’s catchweight crossover match against Marlon Moraes at Etihad Arena. In this bout, he will look to repeat his UFC 266 TKO win over Moraes.

It also marks his fourth RAF appearance after suffering a unanimous decision loss to Petr Yan at UFC 333 and a defeat to Henry Cejudo at RAF 12. Whether those cuts on his face will affect his preparation remains unclear for now. At the same time, people will be eagerly waiting to hear Usman's side of the story.