The fight between Nurmagomedov and Davlishvili in Abu Dhabi: what is known so far.
On the evening of November 11, a massive brawl took place in a hotel in Abu Dhabi involving the former UFC bantamweight champion, Georgian Mirav Devlishvili, and the men of the undefeated Russian Usman Nurmagomedov. The two athletes have arrived in the UAE ahead of the Real American Style (RAF) wrestling tournament, scheduled for November 14.
How did the conflict develop?
According to Devalishvili, the attack was carried out on the sly while he was alone in the hotel with his 21-year-old competition partner, the Georgian wrestler Saba Lzishvili. In the photos that appeared on the network, the UFC fighter Tagir Ulankov was also noticed next to Usman Nurmagomedov, and Marev himself mentioned the presence of Omar Nurmagomedov.
"We arrived in Abu Dhabi, and Osman Nurmagomedov and his friends crept up behind us like snakes. And you call yourselves warriors? Is this male behavior? If you want to talk or fight, let's do it honestly. You attacked us when there were only two of us," Devalishvili said after the incident.
Merav also noted that security held him back while his opponents struck, but his 21-year-old friend was able to fight back and knock down his opponents twice. Against the background of the brawl, Lazishvili was already thinking about a change of discipline:
“He said, 'I'm switching to MMA. If they can only do it to me, when there are two of them, then I can definitely handle it," Devlishvili relayed the words of the wrestler.
The tension between the sides has been ongoing since January 2025, when Devalishvili defeated Usman's older brother, Omer Nurmagomedov, by unanimous decision, handing him his first career loss. Later, in December 2025, Merav lost the championship belt to Peter Jan.
The participation of Devalishvili and Omar Nurmagomedov in the RAF tournament on Saturday 14 November (where they are due to fight Marlon Moraes and Uriah Fabre respectively) is now in doubt pending the completion of police procedures.
The police response and the status of the participants.