Eight sentenced to jail over Nurmagomedov-Dvalishvili Abu Dhabi hotel brawl

The brawl occurred on Wednesday at the Yas Hilton hotel when Georgian fighter Dvalishvili was being interviewed in the lobby. Videos showed Usman approaching from behind and slapping Dvalishvili, which triggered the melee. The incident happened ahead of an RAF wrestling event where Dvalishvili and Umar Nurmagomedov were scheduled to compete.

Court sentences

The Abu Dhabi Criminal Court convicted 10 people in connection with the incident. Six members of Team Nurmagomedov received six-month prison sentences, fines of 300,000 dirhams (approximately $81,600), and deportation orders. Dvalishvili and a friend were fined 50,000 dirhams ($13,600) for 'disturbing public security and assaulting others'.

Two additional individuals received six-month prison sentences for privacy violations after filming and publishing the brawl footage online. The court also ordered confiscation of their phones and deletion of the footage.

Event aftermath

Following the incident, RAF organizers removed Umar Nurmagomedov from the card, replacing him with Saba Lazishvili, who was also involved in the brawl. Dvalishvili remains scheduled to face Marlon Moraes after being released from custody.

Ongoing tensions

Wednesday's incident wasn't the first clash between Dvalishvili and Team Nurmagomedov.

Dvalishvili posted on social media after his release: 'I want to thank everyone in Abu Dhabi for your help in resolving this matter... I do hope that they release everyone; I would not press charges. I want peace and the best for all.'