Aljamain Sterling’s teammate was swarmed at the fighter hotel in Abu Dhabi.
Merab Dvalishvili traveled to the Middle East for his latest match in Real American Freestyle this Saturday.
While he was prepared for wrestling, the Georgian UFC star found himself swinging on Wednesday after an attack from Usman Nurmagomedov and his team.
The MMA community has been widely condemning the PFL lightweight champion for the assault, and Sterling weighed in to address those who are instead laying blame on his friend and training partner.
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Is Usman Nurmagomedov too much of a liability for the UFC to sign?
There are growing calls for the promotion to steer clear after he seemingly attacked Merab Dvalishvili in Abu Dhabi 😳
Aljamain Sterling reacts to Usman Nurmagomedov and his team attacking Merab Dvalishvili
Footage of Nurmagomedov’s attack on Dvalishvili showed the Dagestani coming up from behind the ex-UFC champion while he conducted an interview.
After he slapped ‘The Machine’, other members of the team piled in, resulting in a wild brawl as Dvalishvili and his lone defender fought back.
Islam Makhachev reacted to Nurmagomedov’s attack on social media, claiming it started when Dvalishvili slapped one of Umar Nurmagomedov’s friends at an RAF event in Georgia this past summer.
Sterling rejected the suggestion that the two altercations were anything alike in his own reaction post online.
“All these big guys jumping the small guys,” Sterling wrote on his Instagram Stories.
“This is nothing like Merab in July, in Georgia. This is cowardly behavior.”
In addition to Sterling, the likes of Dakota Ditcheva, Mike Perry, Curtis Blaydes, Israel Adesanya, Matt Frevola, and Sean Strickland have all spoken out against Nurmagomedov for his actions.
🚨 Full footage of the scuffle between Usman Nurmagomedov and Merab Dvalishvili https://t.co/SGJzkQdFif
— Red Corner MMA (@RedCorner_MMA) November 11, 2026
Dvalishvili was with his friend, 21-year-old wrestler Saba Lazishvili, at the time of the attack.
The youngster fought back and even dropped two members of the Dagestani team during the wild melee.
Some fans have responded to the incident by suggesting the UFC should sign Lazishvili instead of Usman, who has been linked to the promotion ever since the completion of his PFL contract.
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