Dagestani Wrestler Defends Nurmagomedov After Dvalishvili Brawl

Dagestani wrestler Akhmed Gadzhimagomedov defended Usman Nurmagomedov and his team after they ambushed Merab Dvalishvili in an Abu Dhabi hotel lobby Wednesday, saying the attack was retaliation for an earlier incident in Georgia.

Nurmagomedov and his crew surrounded Dvalishvili during a camera interview and threw punches at the outnumbered former UFC bantamweight champion, who had only his friend Saba Lazishvili to help fend off the group. The brawl has led to jail sentences for eight people involved, with The National reporting Friday that those convicted will serve six months before deportation.

Gadzhimagomedov Says Attack Was Justified

Gadzhimagomedov claimed the confrontation stemmed from a run-in with Dvalishvili at a RAF press conference in Georgia. He alleged Dvalishvili struck him and insulted his mother while protected by security. "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 wrote on social media, per Bloody Elbow.

The fallout forced changes to Saturday's RAF card in Abu Dhabi. Lazishvili replaced Umar Nurmagomedov in a freestyle wrestling match against Urijah Faber, while Dvalishvili remains scheduled to face former UFC bantamweight Marlon Moraes. UFC president Dana White criticized Nurmagomedov's team before news of the arrests broke.

Photo by Olah Zsolt Istvan on Unsplash

Original reporting:

• bjpenn.com — Usman Nurmagomedov's attack in Abu Dhabi defended by Dagestani wrestler who was struck by Merab Dvalishvili | BJPenn.com