Merab Dvalishvili's coach John Wood predicts winner of potential Ilia Topuria vs. Usman Nurmagomedov UFC fight
With speculation abounding about a possible Ilia Topuria vs. Usman Nurmagomedov UFC fight, Merab Dvalishvili's coach John Wood has revealed his prediction.
UFC megastar Ilia Topuria has long been at odds with PFL lightweight champion, Dagestan's Usman Nurmagomedov.
In the aftermath of Nurmagomedov attacking Topuria's friend, former UFC bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili, at a hotel in Abu Dhabi, speculation has intensified that a potential Topuria vs. Nurmagomedov UFC grudge match could be on the horizon.
Dvalishvili's longtime coach, John Wood of Syndicate MMA, has now chimed in with his prediction regarding the possible Topuria-Nurmagomedov matchup.
Ilia Topuria connection in Abu Dhabi brawl between Usman Nurmagomedov and Merab Dvalishvili
Merab Dvalishvili is booked to wrestle Marlon Moraes in a catchweight freestyle wrestling matchup at RAF Abu Dhabi in Abu Dhabi, UAE, on November 14. Also on the card, Dvalishvili's archrival and former UFC opponent Umar Nurmagomedov is scheduled to wrestle against Urijah Faber in a lightweight clash.
Nevertheless, there are concerns that the aforementioned pair of wrestling matches might be in trouble, owing to the brawl involving Dvalishvili, Usman Nurmagomedov, and Umar Nurmagomedov.
The much-discussed brawl took place at the Yas Hilton Hotel on Yas Island, Abu Dhabi, UAE, on Wednesday, November 11. UFC bantamweight Umar Nurmagomedov's younger brother, PFL champ and UFC aspirant Usman Nurmagomedov, approached Dvalishvili during the latter's RAF interview shoot.
Usman slapped Dvalishvili, with his supporters later citing that it was retaliation for the Georgian-American's altercation with Dagestani wrestler Ahmed Gadzhimagomedov in Georgia. Back in July, Gadzhimagomedov exchanged some words with Dvalishvili, and "The Machine" slapped the wrestler in response.
On the contrary, Dvalishvili's supporters have countered that Gadzhimagomedov initiated that verbal altercation, which led to the slap. They've also asserted that Dvalishvili and Gadzhimagomedov buried the hatchet, adding that Usman Nurmagomedov's slap and attack with his entourage against Dvalishvili in Abu Dhabi was a sneak attack.
Thankfully, the brawl was contained when security personnel and others intervened to separate Usman Nurmagomedov and his entourage from Merab Dvalishvili and the latter's friend, Georgian wrestler Saba Lazishvili. Dvalishvili later posted a video with Lazishvili, lambasting Usman and his group for attacking him with a significant numbers advantage.
Moreover, the UAE authorities subsequently arrested eight people involved in the brawl -- reportedly including Usman Nurmagomedov, Umar Nurmagomedov, Merab Dvalishvili, Saba Lazishvili, and others. Also, two individuals who recorded the video footage of the incident were arrested, bringing the tally of people arrested in the incident to 10.
The Abu Dhabi Police referred the case to the Public Prosecution. Additionally, reports suggested that Usman Nurmagomedov could face a prison term and a fine, as could his entourage.
Well, the Georgian-Spaniard Ilia Topuria -- a friend of Dvalishvili and foe of Usman Nurmagomedov -- condemned Usman and his group's actions.
#أخبارنا | #شرطة_أبوظبي تضبط 8 متورطين في مشاجرة عند مدخل أحد الفنادق وشخصين قاما بتصويرها وتحيلهم إلى النيابة العامة. التفاصيل : https://t.co/dszDAIHAdD https://t.co/eqbssFEYv1
— شرطة أبوظبي (@ADPoliceHQ) November 12, 2026
John Wood picks winner of potential Ilia Topuria vs. Usman Nurmagomedov UFC clash
Speaking to Denis Shkuratov on Submission Radio, John Wood expressed his disapproval of Usman Nurmagomedov's attack on Merab Dvalishvili. Wood, who's extensively trained Dvalishvili, seemed to suggest that fighters do tend to get into such confrontations and scuffles outside the realm of professional competition.
Wood indicated, however, that Usman Nurmagomedov and his group were wrong in their disproportionate escalation. Furthermore, they seemed to address the ongoing speculation that Usman -- who hasn't signed with the UFC as of yet -- could fight Ilia Topuria.
Wood implied that history is indicative that top fighters from other MMA organizations generally struggle to succeed in the UFC, particularly in the early stages of their UFC run. He stated:
"Man, you know, statistically, we've seen multiple champions, we've seen multiple high level fighters come over and just kind of sh** the bed in the UFC. It's not been statistically great for guys that are in other organizations that come over that have done very, very well, to come here and do well in UFC right off the bat."
That said, Wood alluded to the fact that Usman hails from a family of elite UFC fighters -- a brother of Umar Nurmagomedov and cousin of UFC Hall of Famer Khabib Nurmagomedov.
Wood further highlighted that the long-awaited possible MMA clash between Topuria and Usman Nurmagomedov in the UFC would be a great matchup. Picking "El Matador" to beat the Dagestani in the evenly matched fight, Wood said:
"Now, Usman's probably a guy who's, you know, with his lineage and the people around him, he's probably more prepared than anyone else to come into the UFC and do something."
Wood added, "It's definitely an interesting fight. And it's a fight that, unfortunately, a lot of people probably want to see now. And I'm not sure I don't wanna see it now. So I would lean to Ilia in that fight. But, man, it could be a good one."
Watch John Wood discuss a possible Ilia Topuria vs. Usman Nurmagomedov matchup below (*comments at the 7:17-minute mark of the video):
Usman Nurmagomedov and Merab Dvalishvili face legal repercussions of Abu Dhabi brawl
Per an X post by Abu Dhabi's The National, the UAE authorities -- the Abu Dhabi Criminal Court -- convicted the 10 individuals involved in the incident.
Six of them were jailed for causing panic, endangering lives, and disturbing public security. Each of them has been fined 300,000 dirhams and will be subjected to deportation once their prison sentence is served.
The two people who filmed and posted the brawl online were also handed the same punishment. Meanwhile, two others were fined 50,000 dirhams each. Fans can expect additional details to come to the fore soon.
Intriguingly, RAF co-founder Chad Bronstein has now released a statement that Dvalishvili is back with RAF, indicating that he's been released.
Eight people have been sentenced to six months in prison over a brawl involving MMA fighters Usman Nurmagomedov and Merab Dvalishvili at a Yas Island hotel in Abu Dhabi. Abu Dhabi Criminal Court convicted 10 people in connection with the incident on Wednesday, ahead of the RAF Abu Dhabi event. Six were jailed for disturbing public security, causing panic and endangering lives. Each was also fined Dh300,000 and ordered to be deported after serving their sentence. Two others received the same prison sentence, fine and deportation order for filming and publishing footage of the brawl, while another two were fined Dh50,000 each
— The National (@TheNationalNews) November 13, 2026
