Nurmagomedov On Dvalishvili Brawling With Friend

Umar Nurmagomedov questioned Merab Dvalishvili's character after the Georgian bantamweight champion brawled with one of his friends at a wrestling event last month.

At the inaugural RAF Georgia show in Tbilisi this past July, Dvalishvili got into a scuffle with a Nurmagomedov associate identified as Ahmad during a pre-fight press conference, MMA Fighting reports. The altercation came after Dvalishvili dismissed a fan question about potentially wrestling Nurmagomedov in an RAF match, responding that he would fight anyone except the Dagestani.

Nurmagomedov Calls Out Double Standard

Speaking with MMA journalist Adam Zubayraev, Nurmagomedov put the incident in stark terms. "For example, can you imagine a Georgian coming up to me in Dagestan?" he said, per a translation provided by Zubayraev. "If a Georgian tells me not to talk to Merab, and I hit him from behind and insult him in my own language, I can't imagine myself doing that. But as a person, how do you live with that?"

Nurmagomedov said Ahmad approached Dvalishvili only to question why the champion was talking about someone who was not present, and that Dvalishvili initiated the physical contact. The bad blood between the two fighters stems from their January 2025 title fight at UFC 311, where Dvalishvili retained his belt by unanimous decision.

Nurmagomedov meets Song Yadong in the main event of UFC Shanghai on August 29. He said he has no interest in keeping tabs on his former opponent outside the cage, though a rematch remains a possibility down the line.

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• MMA Fighting — Umar Nurmagomedov reacts to Merab Dvalishvili brawling with friend at RAF event: ‘How do you live with that?’