MMA: Usman Nurmagomedov, seven others sentenced to prison after Merab Dvalishvili hotel brawl

FILE PHOTO: Former UFC bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili (in pic) is scheduled to face Marlon Moraes in a Catchweight Crossover match at Etihad Arena on Saturday night. | Photo Credit: Getty Images

Eight people, including PFL ‌lightweight champion Usman Nurmagomedov, were sentenced to six months in prison by the Abu Dhabi Criminal Court following a ‌brawl that media reports ​and footage circulating online ⁠linked to former UFC bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili, according to The National News.

Footage widely shared on social media appeared ⁠to show Dvalishvili, who is due to compete at ‌the Real American Freestyle (RAF) Abu Dhabi event at the Etihad Arena on Saturday, giving an interview in the lobby of the Yas Hilton hotel ‌when he was approached by ​Nurmagomedov.

In the footage, Nurmagomedov and others approach ⁠Dvalishvili from behind before Nurmagomedov appears ⁠to strike him across the face, triggering ‌a brawl involving the two groups.

A total of 10 people were convicted in connection with the incident. Six, including Nurmagomedov, were sentenced to jail for disturbing public security, causing panic and endangering lives. Each was also fined 300,000 UAE Dirhams and ordered to be deported after serving their sentence.

Two others received the same jail term, fine and deportation order for filming and publishing footage of the brawl, while another two - Dvalishvili and Saba Lazishvili, Dvalishvili’s friend - were fined 50,000 UAE Dirhams each.

Nurmagomedov wasn’t supposed to feature in the RAF event but he was in the city to support his older brother, Umar, who was scheduled to face Urijah Faber. However, Umar has now been replaced with Lazishvili.

Dvalishvili was scheduled to face Marlon Moraes in a Catchweight Crossover match at Etihad Arena on Saturday night.

“I am pleased to share that Merab Dvalishvili is back with us in Abu Dhabi. We would like to express our sincere appreciation to the relevant authorities in Abu Dhabi for their professionalism and support. We remain focused on moving forward and are pleased to have Merab back with us,” RAF CEO and co-founder Chad Bronstein said in a statement.

Dvalishvili and the Nurmagomedovs have some history between them. Dvalishvili had defeated Umar in a UFC bantamweight title bout early last year. Since then, the two sides had been engaging in a war of words.