Why Did Usman Nurmagomedov Attack Merab Dvalishvili? The Real Beef Between Dvalishvili, Dagestanis Explained

The recent altercation between Usman Nurmagomedov and Merab Dvalishvili is the hot topic of discussion in the UFC world right now.

Usman Nurmagomedov attacked former UFC Bantamweight Champion Merab Dvalishvili in an Abu Dhabi hotel lobby on Wednesday, November 11, 2026. 

According to the videos that surfaced online, Nurmagomedov and his Dagestani buddies approached Dvalishvili from behind while he was filming an interview for Real American Freestyle (RAF). 

Dvalishvili was in Abu Dhabi for the upcoming RAF event on November 14. Nurmagomedov said something to Dvalishvili before slapping him across the face. The Dagestani fighter then doubled down on his ambush, with his friends accompanying him.

Despite being outnumbered, Dvalishvili tried to fight back, but in vain. He later posted videos on social media showing a bloodied nose, a head wound, and severe swelling around his left eye while receiving medical treatment.

Merab and Usman have never fought in an official bout, as Merab competes at bantamweight in the UFC and Usman competes at lightweight in the PFL. 

Therefore, the root of the conflict was obviously something else. The reason why Usman attacked Merab was Merab's ongoing feud with Usman's older brother, Umar.

Merab Dvalishvili Handed Umar Nurmagomedov His First MMA Loss

At UFC 311, Merab handed Umar his first professional loss of his MMA career in a “Fight of the Night” performance. Merab Dvalishvili defeated Umar Nurmagomedov via unanimous decision to retain the UFC Bantamweight Championship.

Following the loss, Umar called out "The Machine" several times, asking for a rematch and citing his broken hand for his poor performance. But Merab rejected his challenge every time, saying that he beat him fair and square. So he’ll neither give Umar any attention nor a rematch. 

Merab Dvalishvili Slapped Umar Nurmagomedov’s Friend at RAF Presser in July 2026

Then in July 2026, Merab said some things about Umar at a RAF event which didn’t sit right with one of Umar's friends and training partners, Russian wrestler Ahmed Gadzhimagomedov. The latter confronted Merab over his disrespectful comments, but Merab slapped Ahmed during the heated confrontation.

It is being said that the unexpected hotel attack in Abu Dhabi was Usman's retaliatory response to Merab for his repeated disrespect and insults directed at Umar and his family.

Even UFC Welterweight Champion Islam Makhachev defended the retaliation online, saying the same thing. He stated that Dvalishvili started the conflict in July by hitting a guest in his homeland and insulting his family.

According to the former two-division UFC champion Ilia Topuria, who is also a close friend of Dvalishvili, Usman has been detained by the Abu Dhabi police. 

Usman is currently a free agent in the MMA market and is heavily rumored to join the UFC after Dana White expressed interest in him.

It’ll be interesting to see whether this incident will have any effect on Usman’s chances of getting into the UFC.