'People Make Mistakes': Usman Nurmagomedov's Manager Hopes to 'Move Beyond Enemies' After Merab Dvalishvili Brawl
Ali Abdelaziz calls for peace and accountability after Usman Nurmagomedov received six months in prison and deportation for his Abu Dhabi brawl with Merab Dvalishvili.
The chaotic brawl between Usman Nurmagomedov and Merab Dvalishvili inside the Yas Hilton lobby in Abu Dhabi has finally reached a verdict. But it turned into a massive legal headache for the former PFL Lightweight Champion and his friends, as they received six months in prison, 300,000 AED fines (about $81,700) and deportation orders.
With Usman behind bars and online tensions escalating between fans, his manager Ali Abdelaziz broke his silence with an emotional statement calling for accountability and peace.
Ali Abdelaziz Addresses Family Dispute and Fan Backlash Following Abu Dhabi Brawl
The hotel clash stemmed from a heated verbal exchange at RAF Georgia in July. According to Islam Makhachev, “The Machine” disrespected Usman's elder brother Umar Nurmagomedov's friend, Akhmed Gadzhimagomedov's mother, during that event.
Gadzhimagomedov broke his silence after seeing fans celebrate Dvalishvili as a hero following the brawl. He said insulting a mother is a big offense in their culture and claimed Dvalishvili was lucky to walk away with only a few slaps.
Tensions boiled over in the hotel lobby on Wednesday, Nov. 11, ahead of Real American Freestyle's Abu Dhabi card. What happened next was never good for business, according to UFC CEO Dana White, who slammed the group melee as "ridiculous and stupid" after police detained everyone involved
Following Friday's court verdicts, Abdelaziz took to Instagram to address the backlash and defend his fighters' loyalty. He called it "weak" for fans to turn a personal dispute into a feud between nations, faiths or people from Georgia and Dagestan, noting he knows good people from both places.
At the same time, Abdelaziz echoed Gadzhimagomedov's point about defending loved ones while admitting things went too far.
"We're all human, and we have the right to protect our families and stand up for the people we love," Abdelaziz wrote. "People make mistakes, sometimes in the heat of emotion, and we can learn from them. ... I hope we can move beyond having enemies, because that isn't what life should be about."
However, the feud between the Nurmagomedov camp and Dvalishvili originally began before UFC 311 in January 2025, when Umar called Dvalishvili a "fake champion" and made insulting remarks about Georgia. Nearly two years later, at the end of 2026, that bad blood is still simmering.
Moreover, Usman's six-month sentence could complicate a potential UFC move in 2027, especially after the UFC boss played down signing rumors during Thursday's UFC 334 pre-fight press conference.
It remains to be seen how things unfold from here, while Dvalishvili and his 21-year-old friend, Saba Lazishvili, are free to move forward without further legal trouble.
