Umar Nurmagomedov Questions Merab Dvalishvili's Character After Georgian Altercation

Umar Nurmagomedov has expressed serious doubts about Merab Dvalishvili's character following an incident in Georgia where Dvalishvili reportedly slapped a friend of Nurmagomedov's. The confrontation occurred during Real American Freestyle's event in Georgia. Nurmagomedov's friend, identified as Ahmad, approached Dvalishvili, who was present to face Henry Cejudo in a grappling match, and inquired if Dvalishvili would be willing to grapple with Umar.

The exchange took place after Dvalishvili had secured a victory over Olympic gold medalist Henry Cejudo. While Nurmagomedov and Dvalishvili have a history, having previously competed under MMA rules with Dvalishvili winning a unanimous decision in January 2025 at UFC 311, tensions between them appear to be escalating. Dvalishvili had previously stated he would wrestle anyone except Nurmagomedov, referring to him as a "spoiled guy" before the physical altercation with Ahmad ensued.

On-site security intervened to de-escalate the situation, but the repercussions of the incident at RAF Georgia are still being felt. In an interview with Adam Zubayraev, with a segment shared on the X account @RedCorner_MMA, Nurmagomedov shared his perspective:

"He's the one who has to live with it. For example, can you imagine a Georgian coming up to me in Dagestan? … If a Georgian tells me not to talk to 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."

Umar Nurmagomedov Further Discusses the Slap Incident and Future Rematch Possibilities

Umar Nurmagomedov also provided more context to the altercation with Ahmad, emphasizing that he is not preoccupied with Dvalishvili's actions, especially with his upcoming fight against Song Yadong on August 29th at UFC Shanghai. Regarding the incident, Nurmagomedov stated [via MMA Fighting]:

"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?’…. I swear, I don’t care at all what [Merab Dvalishvili] 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."