UFC star and 21-year-old friend reportedly cleared to wrestle at RAF days after fending off hotel lobby ambush
Key Points:
- Merab Dvalishvili was ambushed in a hotel lobby earlier this week in Abu Dhabi but is still scheduled to fight Marlon Moraes at RAF (Real American Freestyle) on FOX Nation Saturday night.
- RAF CEO Chad Bronstein confirmed Dvalishvili's return to the promotion and expressed gratitude to Abu Dhabi authorities for their support amid the incident.
- Dvalishvili and his 21-year-old friend Sabaa Lazishvili defended themselves during the attack, with Lazishvili impressively stepping up; Lazishvili has now been added to the RAF Abu Dhabi card to replace Umar Nurmagomedov.
- Umar Nurmagomedov faces six months in prison, an $82,000 fine, and deportation following the attack, while Dvalishvili has stated he does not intend to press charges.
- The attack is believed to be linked to tensions from UFC 311 in January 2025, where Dvalishvili defended his bantamweight title against Nurmagomedov; Dvalishvili appears to have the upper hand for now.