Nurmagomedov slaps Dvalishvili to spark hotel brawl

Former UFC bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili and PFL lightweight champion Usman Nurmagomedov were involved in a physical altercation in Abu Dhabi. According to Yahoo Sports, Dvalishvili claimed he was assaulted by Nurmagomedov and members of his team while he was conducting an interview for RAF in a hotel lobby. Dvalishvili stated that the group approached from behind and began punching him and a young friend, adding that they continued to kick them while they were on the ground.

Footage of the brawl, which shows Dvalishvili being slapped in the face before the situation escalated into punches and kicks, has gone viral. The Toronto Sun reported that the former UFC champion was left bloodied following the attack by Nurmagomedov. Dvalishvili posted a video on Instagram showing himself receiving medical attention following the incident.

Brief written by urgent.news from BBC Sport, Toronto Sun, Yahoo Sports — 3 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.