Updated

MMA fighters Merab Dvalishvili and Usman Nurmagomedov brawled at a hotel in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday, in a clash captured on video that spread widely on social media. Dvalishvili, a former UFC bantamweight champion, and Nurmagomedov, the PFL lightweight champion, were involved in the physical altercation, which ESPN reported. Videos of the incident showed Nurmagomedov approaching Dvalishvili from behind and slapping him, after which Dvalishvili tried to go after him and a chaotic scene involving members of both fighters' camps unfolded. Dvalishvili later posted a video of his bloodied face, calling Nurmagomedov's camp "snakes" and challenging them to fight properly. The clash follows a long-running feud, including a brief camp altercation in July at another RAF event in Georgia, and Dvalishvili's 2025 title win over Umar Nurmagomedov. Both Dvalishvili and Umar are scheduled to compete at RAF on Saturday in Abu Dhabi, Dvalishvili against Marlon Moraes and Umar against Urijah Faber. Usman Nurmagomedov is in restricted free agency, with speculation about whether he will leave the PFL for the UFC in 2027.