Akhmed Gadzhimagomedov, the Dagestani wrestler who says Merab Dvalishvili struck him at a RAF press conference in Georgia, has come out in defense of Usman Nurmagomedov and the crew that jumped Dvalishvili in an Abu Dhabi hotel lobby this week. Gadzhimagomedov posted on social media, as Bloody Elbow first relayed, that the attack was retaliation on his behalf.
“Since that day, I have been looking for an opportunity to meet and ask Merab for his words, but my brothers went ahead of me and did what any man would do for insulting the family,” Gadzhimagomedov said.
His version of the Georgia incident is the root of all this. Gadzhimagomedov has said Dvalishvili hit him and insulted his mother while standing behind security at that RAF event. The feud between Dvalishvili and Team Nurmagomedov had been simmering for a long time before that, and the press conference seems to have been where it finally boiled over.
Wednesday was the result. Dvalishvili, the former UFC bantamweight champion, was in the middle of an on-camera interview when Usman, the PFL lightweight champion, came up behind him with a group and slapped him. A brawl broke out, and Dvalishvili was badly outnumbered. His only backup was his friend Saba Lazishvili, who fought alongside him in self-defense.
The consequences came quickly. On Friday, The National reported that eight people involved in the fight had already been sentenced to six months in prison and will be deported once they serve their time, and Usman is reportedly one of them. Even before word of the arrests got out, Dana White had criticized Nurmagomedov’s team for getting into trouble in Abu Dhabi. Ali Abdelaziz, Usman’s longtime manager, put out a somber statement calling the brawl unacceptable. Daniel Cormier also scolded Usman, which stings more than most criticism because Cormier is a close friend and ally of Khabib’s camp.
The RAF card goes on regardless. Dvalishvili is staying in Abu Dhabi to face former UFC bantamweight Marlon Moraes on Saturday, November 14. Lazishvili has earned a spot on the same card. He replaces Umar Nurmagomedov, who was also involved in the brawl, against Urijah Faber in a freestyle wrestling match.
Quick take
I understand where Gadzhimagomedov is coming from, at least emotionally. If a man insulted your mother at a press conference while hiding behind guards, you’d want to confront him. And in a wrestling room, the brothers who would go to war for you are a big part of the bond. But what happened in that lobby was a guy getting slapped from behind while talking into a camera, followed by a pack piling on someone who had one friend with him. Calling that what any man would do for his family doesn’t change what the footage shows, and an Emirati court has already handed down its verdict. The sport is left with an odd and fairly fitting image for Saturday: Lazishvili, the friend who stood with Merab, walking out against Faber in the slot that was meant for Umar.
