A boiling rivalry between UFC stars spilled out of the octagon and into a hotel lobby in a wild brawl caught on camera.
Viral footage shows former UFC bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili and PFL lightweight champion Usman Nurmagomedov were involved in a physical altercation on Wednesday in Abu Dhabi.
Dvalishvili, who is in Abu Dhabi ahead of Saturday's Real American Freestyle event, was giving an interview in the hotel lobby when Nurmagomedov approached from behind with a group, said something and slapped him.
All hell broke loose after the initial slap, with members of each entourage throwing punches and kicks.
Dvalishvili, still bloodied from the brawl, posted a video after the melee and called Nurmagomedov and his camp "snakes."
UFC Star Speaks After Rowdy Hotel Brawl
"What a sneaky way, guys," Dvalishvili says. "What kind of fighters you guys are? And what kind of man does this? If you want to try, let's do it the real way."
Dvalishvili added, "You guys are not real men. This shows your character... if you want to fight, let's f****** fight. We are fighters. But you guys came from behind."
"From behind?" Dvalishvili's friend added. "Who does that? You call yourself a man? You're a little b-h."
Merab Dvalishvili and Nurmagomedov Camp Have Long History
Dvalishvili previously defeated Usman Nurmagomedov's brother, Umar, at UFC 311 to defend his bantamweight title. His victory at the Intuit Dome marked his first career bantamweight title defense.
Following the milestone victory, Dvalishvili admitted he was motivated to prove he wasn't washed up, as his opponent claimed.
"Umar is a tough fighter, and he's good, but he called me old," said Dvalishvili, who is five years older than Nurmagomedov. "Yes, I'm old, but I'm working every day. I'm a harder worker."
A year later, bad blood remains between Dvalishvili and the Nurmagomedov camp.
As of Thursday, neither UFC nor RAF has commented on the viral brawl.
Both Merab and Umar are scheduled to compete at RAF on Saturday. Dvalishvili faces former UFC title challenger Marlon Moraes. Nurmagomedov is scheduled to wrestle former UFC champion Urijah Faber.
