Sean O’Malley and Sean Strickland have reacted to the mass brawl involving Merab Dvalishvili and Usman Nurmagomedov in Abu Dhabi, with both fighters weighing in on the confrontation that took place ahead of this weekend’s Real American Freestyle (RAF) event.
The incident occurred in a hotel lobby on Wednesday when Nurmagomedov, the former PFL lightweight champion, approached Dvalishvili from behind and appeared to slap him, sparking a confrontation involving members of both camps. Dvalishvili subsequently shared footage of his bloodied face and accused Nurmagomedov’s entourage of attacking him and his 21-year-old friend, Georgian wrestler Saba Lazishvili. “What a sneaky way, guys,” Dvalishvili said. “What kind of fighters you guys are? What kind of man does this? If you want to try, let’s do it the real way.”
O’Malley, who previously lost his UFC bantamweight title to Dvalishvili, singled out Lazishvili for praise following the altercation. “Respect to Merab’s friend. He’s 21 years old, just a wrestler, doesn’t train striking, but he still took down two guys from Khabib’s crew!” O’Malley said, according to Happy Punch.
Strickland was considerably more outspoken in his condemnation of Nurmagomedov, writing on X: “Usman Nurmagomedov is the definition of a b****. These guys all run around pretending to be hard but they all act like f******* dogs waiting to attack you when you’re not looking.” The former UFC middleweight champion subsequently commented on Dvalishvili’s Instagram post, calling for a “lifetime ban for everyone involved.”
UFC lightweight champion Ilia Topuria also condemned the incident, describing those involved as “a bunch of absolute cowards” and claiming that Nurmagomedov and several associates had been detained, although Abu Dhabi authorities have not publicly confirmed any arrests. Meanwhile, Islam Makhachev suggested that the confrontation stemmed from an earlier incident involving Dvalishvili and a Dagestani wrestler. “Merab started what happened today in his homeland by allowing himself to hit a guest and insulting his mother,” Makhachev wrote. MMA personality Nina Drama also called for Nurmagomedov and his associates to be banned from the UFC.
The confrontation comes ahead of Saturday’s RAF event in Abu Dhabi, where Dvalishvili is scheduled to face former UFC opponent Marlon Moraes, while Nurmagomedov’s brother Umar is set to meet Urijah Faber. The incident also arrives at a significant moment in Usman Nurmagomedov’s career, with the undefeated lightweight currently a free agent following his most recent PFL appearance and heavily linked with a move to the UFC.
