Usman Nurmagomedov and a group of associates in Abu Dhabi have allegedly ambushed Merab Dvalishvili and a friend.
Keeping active, Dvalishvili wasted no time booking his next match. An RAF-scheduled bout has quickly followed a loss to Petr Yan late last month. The 35-year-old will collide with UFC title challenger Marlon Moraes, who’ll be making his Real American Freestyle debut. Despite the fight being just days away, it is not the biggest talking point coming out of the Middle East.
Sharing a video with his followers, Merab Dvalishvili alleged he was attacked by a group of assailants while conducting media duties ahead of his wrestling match on Saturday. Among the attackers is thought to be Usman Nurmagomedov, a former Bellator and PFL world champion who is strongly linked to a move to the UFC.
Merab Dvalishvili gave his account of events:
“What a sneaky way, guys,” Dvalishvili said. “Just two of us; me and my friend came here in Abu Dhabi. Usman Nurmagomedov and his friends came like snakes from behind. What kind of fighters you guys are? What kind of man does this, bro?”
“If you want to talk and fight, let’s do it like a real way, bro. You guys came from f***ing- just because there’s two of us, and you guys were prepared, bro. What the f***.”
Dvalishvili continued.
“We bleed. We fight. We war. But you guys are just sneaky guys. You guys are not real men. That shows your guys’ character; shows your guys are not real men. What the f***, guys? If you want to fight, fight. Let’s f***ing fight. We are fighters, bro.”
“I talk. I am a real guy, I talk straight. But you guys came from behind. And I don’t know how many guys you was. All your friends waiting for us in a sneaky way… [We] was fighting like a real man, and you guys was fighting like p*ssies. P*ssies does this, bro. Like 20 guys against 2 guys.”
Listen to Merab Dvalishvili’s 2-minute breakdown of what happened between him and Usman Nurmagomedov below.