Dana White has seen the tape, and he isn’t impressed with anybody in it. The UFC CEO called Usman Nurmagomedov and Merab Dvalishvili “f*cking idiots” over their brawl in Abu Dhabi, then added the detail that turns a scuffle into a legal problem: “Now they’re all in jail in Abu Dhabi.” Happy Punch posted the clip of White’s comments on X early Friday, Nov. 13.
White didn’t say who that group includes, how long anyone was held, or whether charges are involved. Treat the headcount as unconfirmed until somebody with a badge or a lawyer says more.
How it got here
The story broke Wednesday, Nov. 11, when Ilia Topuria posted footage of the incident. Championship Rounds shared it on X and described it as Nurmagomedov jumping Dvalishvili. Red Corner MMA followed less than an hour later with what it billed as the full footage of the scuffle, and that longer version spread fast.
View post on X
Topuria was already reporting a detention before White said a word. In a post quoting the Red Corner clip, he wrote that “Usman has reportedly been detained, along with the cowards who were with him.” He didn’t stop there. He questioned how the Nurmagomedov camp could preach humility and respect after this, called them “a bunch of absolute cowards,” and wrote that “Honor, respect, and humility aren’t words you preach. They’re values you live by.” Pay attention to the hedge in his post. Topuria framed the detention as a report, which makes it secondhand information from a guy with an obvious side in this, and White’s comment two days later is the closest thing to confirmation so far.
Sean Strickland piled on too. He wrote on X that “Usman Nurmagomedov is the definition of a bitch..” and accused that crew of waiting to attack people when they aren’t looking. The rest of his post went where Strickland’s posts usually go.
View post on X
The press coverage split on framing. A boxingnews.com headline pinned it on Nurmagomedov, calling it a Dvalishvili attack, while White’s comments put both names in the idiot column. Sherdog ran an opinion piece under the headline “UFC may condemn Nurmagomedov-Dvalishvili brawl, then cash in.”
What’s next
No source has a date, a booking, or a disciplinary announcement attached to any of this. White has given his opinion. He hasn’t given a punishment. Nobody has said whether the people held in Abu Dhabi are still there.
View post on X
My take: Sherdog’s headline is the one I’d bet on. I’ve watched this company call two guys idiots on a Thursday and put them on a poster by spring, and I’m not about to lay chalk against that happening again. White lumping Dvalishvili in with Nurmagomedov is interesting, though, since the earliest framing online had Merab on the receiving end. Either White saw something in the full footage that the first clip left out, or he’s spreading the blame so nobody gets to play hero. The fine print I care about is the jail part. You can’t sell a fight if one of the guys can’t leave the country, and until someone answers that, any line you see on this is a guess dressed up as a number.
