Umar Nurmagomedov has condemned Merab Dvalishvili over the confrontation with his friend Ahmad at RAF Georgia, questioning how the former UFC bantamweight champion could justify striking a visitor from behind.
The scuffle occurred around the inaugural RAF Georgia event, held on July 11, 2026, at Tbilisi Sports Palace. Dvalishvili had rejected the idea of wrestling Nurmagomedov while answering a question during the pre-event media session. Ahmad then approached him, and the exchange turned physical in the crowd.
Merab Dvalishvili and Ahmad clash around the RAF Georgia media event
Nurmagomedov Questions Dvalishvili’s Conduct In Georgia
Nurmagomedov discussed the incident in Russian with Adam Zubayraev. The English subtitles on the full interview translate his response:
“Well, he’s the one who has to live with it, you know. For example, can you imagine a Georgian coming up to me in Dagestan? If a Georgian tells me not to talk about Merab, and I hit him from behind and insult him in my own language, I can’t imagine myself doing that. But as a person, how do you live with that? And the people who defend it… That means there’s something wrong there. You have to call wrong things wrong. No matter who does it.”
Nurmagomedov said Ahmad challenged Dvalishvili over speaking about someone who was not present, but did not begin the conversation with an insult.
“Yeah, Ahmad walked up to him and said, ‘Why are you speaking for someone who isn’t even here?’ He didn’t insult him, didn’t say anything rude, didn’t show any disrespect. He said, ‘Tell him to his face what you want to say. Why are you swearing here?’”
Zubayraev then said Ahmad later “got him back” away from the camera. Nurmagomedov replied:
“Yeah, Ahmad got him back.”
Nurmagomedov closed the subject by saying he has no personal case to prove to Dvalishvili or to Georgians.
“I swear, I don’t care at all what he does or how he feels. I’m being honest with you. In general, there are probably people who want to prove something. Brother, I have nothing to prove to anyone. And I have nothing to prove to Merab. And I have nothing to prove to Georgians. I just want to live my life, that’s it.”
The Rivalry Started Before Their UFC 311 Title Fight
Dvalishvili and Nurmagomedov had already clashed verbally before their January 18, 2025 title fight at UFC 311. Dvalishvili won a five-round unanimous decision, handing Nurmagomedov his first professional defeat. Their backstage confrontation before the UFC 311 press conference showed how tense the matchup had become.
Nurmagomedov now owns a 20-1 professional MMA record. He followed the Dvalishvili loss with decision victories over Mario Bautista and Deiveson Figueiredo. The 30-year-old next faces Song Yadong in the UFC Shanghai main event on August 29, 2026, at Shanghai Oriental Sports Center. The Shanghai booking puts Nurmagomedov opposite the division’s sixth-ranked contender.
Dvalishvili is 21-5 in professional MMA. His 14-fight UFC winning streak ended when Petr Yan took the bantamweight title from him by unanimous decision at UFC 323 in December 2025. He remains unbeaten in RAF competition after defeating Frankie Edgar by technical superiority and edging Henry Cejudo 11-8. Dvalishvili’s comeback win over Cejudo closed the July 11 card.
