Abu Dhabi Police said they arrested eight people in response to the hotel brawl involving, among others, former UFC bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili and PFL lightweight champion Usman Nurmagomedov.
Video of the incident was posted online on Wednesday, along with a video message showing a bloodied Dvalishvili claiming he had been attacked from behind by Nurmagomedov and several other men.
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According to an Abu Dhabi Police post on social media, eight people were subsequently arrested, including those who filmed the incident.
“The General Command of the Abu Dhabi Police was able to arrest 8 people involved in a fight that took place at the entrance of a hotel. Against the backdrop of previous disputes between them, they also managed to arrest two people who filmed the incident, take the necessary legal actions to their right and refer them to the Attorney General to complete the procedure in accordance with the laws promulgated by him,” said a statement published on the official Instagram account of the Abu Dhabi Police.
“The details of the incident date back to a fight at the entrance of a hotel, following previous disputes between a number of people, and immediately, the specialized teams of the Abu Dhabi Police launched their actions to deal with the incident, and were able to arrest those involved, as well as arrest the two people who filmed the fight and take the necessary legal actions to assert their rights,” the statement continued.
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“Abu Dhabi Police underlined its keenness to maintain public security and order and firmly combat behavior that may undermine security or endanger the safety of others, emphasizing the importance of adhering to laws and regulations and exhibiting civilized and responsible behavior.”
The incident also called into question the scheduling of Saturday’s RAF Abu Dhabi wrestling event. Dvalishvili is in Abu Dhabi to face former WSOF bantamweight champion Marlon Moraes in Saturday’s event. UFC bantamweight Umar Nurmagomedov — the brother of Usman Nurmagomedov, who could be seen slapping Dvalishvili at the start of the hotel brawl — is also scheduled to face UFC Hall of Famer Urijah Faber at the same event.
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Neither fighter was present at the RAF press conference on Thursday, according to MMA Fighting, and RAF co-founder Chad Bronstein said he did not yet know the status of those matches. Bronstein said that whether the matches move forward or not, Usman Nurmagomedov would not be welcome at the event.
“We hope the situation will be resolved as soon as possible,” Bronstein said Thursday. “And obviously Usman will not be attending our event on Saturday night.”
The fight between Dvalishvili and the Nurmagomedov brothers comes after months of hostility between the two camps. Dvalishvili beat his older brother, Umar, in a UFC bantamweight title clash early last year. Since then, the two sides have engaged in a war of words, although this week’s incident was the most consequential clash yet, leaving several people visibly bruised and bloodied.
Gn sports
