Eight sentenced to prison by Abu Dhabi court over Nurmagomedov and Dvalishvili hotel brawl

Key Points:

• The Abu Dhabi Criminal Court convicted 10 individuals involved in a violent brawl at a Yas Island hotel between MMA fighters Usman Nurmagomedov, his associates, and Merab Dvalishvili, sentencing six to six months in prison, fines, and deportation after their sentences.
• Two defendants received Dh50,000 fines for disturbing public security and assault, while two others were sentenced to six months in prison, fined Dh300,000, deported, and had their phones confiscated for filming and sharing footage of the fight.
• The altercation occurred when Dvalishvili was giving an interview at the Yas Hilton lobby and was approached and attacked by Nurmagomedov and his group; the incident was widely shared on social media.
• Dvalishvili, who has a longstanding rivalry with the Nurmagomedov family, posted videos describing the attack and was scheduled to fight Marlon Moraes at RAF Abu Dhabi, while Nurmagomedov was in the city supporting his brother Umar.
• RAF CEO Chad Bronstein confirmed Dvalishvili’s return to the team in Abu Dhabi and expressed gratitude to local authorities for their professionalism and support following the incident.