Updated November 12, 2026, 9:11 p.m. ET
NEW YORK – Ali Abdelaziz says there is no justification for Usman Nurmagomedov’s decision to jump Merab Dvalishvili and incite a fight in Abu Dhabi.
Nurmagomedov was among those arrested by Abu Dhabi police after attacking former UFC bantamweight champion Dvalishvili in a hotel lobby before a Real American Freestyle event.
Usman’s brother Umar was scheduled to face Urijah Faber on the card, which is why Usman was in the same hotel as Dvalishvili. Umar was locked in a years-long feud with Dvalishvili before and after their UFC 311 title fight in January 2025, and the altercation marked a true turning point.
Abdelaziz condemned his client’s behavior and said it was a situation that should shame everyone involved.
“I’m really sorry,” Abdelaziz told MMA Junkie on Thursday. “It’s embarrassing what happened. I hope these young men get a good lesson. This is something that should not happen again. All our guys need to set a good example. … I haven’t slept in a few days trying to make things better. I don’t think I can say words to make things better. To the people of Abu Dhabi, to the leaders, this is something that will never happen again.
“We should do better as Muslims, as human beings, as athletes. (…) What happened is something unacceptable and should never happen again.”
There is much debate online about how and why the attack ultimately happened. Many will blame Usman, while others will claim this is a reaction to some past behavior from Dvalishvili with Nurmagomedov’s team.
Abdelaziz dismissed all of this as relevant and said that no matter what Dvalishvili had done or not done in the past, there was no justification for what happened on Wednesday.
“Two wrongs don’t make a right,” Abdelaziz said. “I’m not going to stand here and say he did that or he didn’t do that. These guys are young, and there are no words I can describe to say he was wrong. I think both sides were wrong, and two wrongs don’t make a right, and that’s a good lesson for everyone.
“Merab was there a few weeks ago. He was fine and trained at Khabib’s gym. I think we need to do better as humans. We need to learn from this mistake. I’m not going to point fingers. It was extremely disrespectful to the people of Abu Dhabi, to the city of Abu Dhabi. We need to be better and behave better. This situation could have been handled differently but I understand that these athletes are emotional. But there is no excuse. There is no excuse. There is nothing I can say to make the bad situation better.
Abdelaziz said the saga made him reflect on his own bad behavior and the way he behaves. He hopes Usman will do the same, as he is sure there will be consequences in multiple forms.
Usman is one of MMA’s top free agents after completing his PFL contract in July, and there has been speculation about how that reflects on his character. This is also not the first incident involving Usman, as he has also been criticized for jumping into the octagon after a title win over Islam Makhachev, jumping into the octagon after his brother Umar was knocked out by Song Yadong, and for being arrested in 2021 for an incident in which a police officer was allegedly hit by a car.
Abdelaziz said following Usman’s path as a fighter is not the top priority at the moment, but rather focusing on how to toe a better line as a man.
“About Usman’s career: this guy is one of the best fighters in the world,” Abdelaziz said. “Of course it’s going to affect everyone. It’s going to affect him, Khabib, everyone. But I’m not worried about his fighting career right now. I’m worried about his well-being and how he’s going to recover from this.”
Gn sports
