ABU DHABI – Islam Makhachev has put his support behind Usman Nurmagomedov after the hotel-lobby attack on Merab Dvalishvili, turning attention back to an earlier confrontation in Georgia while leaving the immediate circumstances in Abu Dhabi unresolved.
The UFC welterweight champion defended his longtime teammate in a statement published Wednesday, arguing that criticism of Nurmagomedov ignored Dvalishvili’s conduct toward another member of their wider training circle in July. His intervention supplied an explanation from one side of the dispute, not an independently established account of why the latest incident happened.
The distinction carries practical stakes before Saturday’s Real American Freestyle wrestling event. Dvalishvili and Usman’s brother Umar are scheduled for separate matches, but the reporting reviewed for this article did not establish whether both would remain on the card after the confrontation.
In a translation published by Yahoo Sports and credited to reporter Kristina Avsarkisova, Makhachev asked critics why they had been silent when Dvalishvili “slapped the Dagestani fighter and insulted his honor.” He added that “whatever happened today, was started by Merab” through the earlier incident in Georgia.
Makhachev’s statement links the two episodes. It does not make them the same event. The July confrontation occurred backstage before an RAF event in Tbilisi; Wednesday’s confrontation occurred in an Abu Dhabi hotel lobby ahead of a different wrestling card. Establishing that there was an earlier dispute is separate from establishing responsibility for every action in the later one.
Yahoo reported that footage showed Usman Nurmagomedov and others attacking Dvalishvili and that the former UFC bantamweight champion and a friend were left bloodied. This account relies on the outlet’s reporting of the recording. It does not independently authenticate every circulating clip, identify every person present or provide a medical assessment of either man.
The earlier confrontation involved Ahmed Gadzhimagomedov, described by Yahoo as a friend and training partner of the Nurmagomedov group. Dvalishvili slapped him backstage at the Georgia event. The report also said Gadzhimagomedov allegedly grabbed Dvalishvili and aggressively questioned him about his problem with Umar.
That account differs in emphasis from Makhachev’s description of a man approaching merely to talk. Makhachev said the approach had “no ill intent.” The intention he attributes to Gadzhimagomedov remains his account; it cannot be established simply by repeating his statement alongside descriptions of the later hotel footage.
The names also need separating. Usman is the fighter Makhachev defended over the Abu Dhabi attack. Umar is Usman’s brother and the opponent Dvalishvili defeated in their UFC bantamweight title fight in January 2025. Confusing the brothers would turn the established sporting history into a different allegation about Wednesday.
The UFC’s official UFC 311 scorecards record Dvalishvili’s unanimous-decision victory over Umar: 48–47, 48–47 and 49–46. Those are the settled results of a sanctioned contest, decided over five rounds. They establish the competitive backdrop, not an explanation that resolves the hotel incident.
Makhachev is close to both brothers through years of training and friendship. His coach and mentor Khabib Nurmagomedov is their cousin, Yahoo noted. That relationship explains why his public response matters within the sport, while also making clear that he is speaking as an ally rather than as a neutral investigator. The reviewed report does not establish that his statement was an eyewitness account.
The scheduled wrestling matches are different again. Dvalishvili was due to face Marlon Moraes, while Umar was expected to wrestle Urijah Faber. Neither pairing is a scheduled contest between Dvalishvili and Usman. The hotel confrontation should not be described as part of a bout or confused with an authorised exchange during competition.
The brothers’ presence at the same event is therefore relevant without making the incident inevitable. It explains why members of rival camps were in Abu Dhabi at the same time. It does not establish what each participant knew beforehand, who directed anyone else or whether there was advance planning. None of those claims is resolved in the source reporting used here.
Nor does Makhachev’s defence determine a disciplinary or legal outcome. No official finding, criminal charge or confirmed sanction is established by the two sources cited in this article. This report does not treat circulating claims about detention as verified police information. An explanation offered by a teammate and a decision issued by an authority are different kinds of evidence.
For the event itself, the unanswered question is narrower and immediate: whether Dvalishvili and Umar will take part in their separate Saturday matches. Yahoo left that status uncertain. Makhachev’s statement did not answer it, provide medical clearance or announce a card change.
His intervention has made the public dispute broader by bringing July back into the argument. The weekend’s scheduled competition remains specific: Dvalishvili against Moraes, Umar against Faber. Neither match is an answer to what happened in the hotel lobby.
