Usman Nurmagomedov

Introduction

Usman Nurmagomedov, the Russian PFL lightweight champion, has been sentenced to six months in prison in Abu Dhabi over a hotel brawl with former UFC bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili . On 13 November 2026 the Abu Dhabi Judicial Department announced that a court had convicted ten defendants in the Yas Island hotel fight, imposing six months’ imprisonment, a Dh300,000 fine (about $81,600) and deportation from the country . Media reports identified Nurmagomedov as among six people sent to jail and fined over the brawl, which saw his group attack Dvalishvili from behind in a hotel lobby two days before a fight card both camps were attending .

Background Information

Nurmagomedov was not scheduled to fight at RAF Abu Dhabi, the Real American Freestyle card at Etihad Arena on the Saturday after the brawl; he was in the UAE capital to coach his older brother Umar, who was slated to face Urijah Faber . Dvalishvili, 35, was booked to face Marlon Moraes in a catchweight crossover match on the same card . The two camps carry a long rivalry: Dvalishvili beat Umar Nurmagomedov by unanimous decision at UFC 311 in 2025 to retain the UFC bantamweight title, the feud flared again in recent months when Dvalishvili had an altercation with an associate of Umar’s ahead of RAF Georgia, and the two sides traded insults online .

The Controversy or Incident That Led to Their Cancellation

Convicted: an Abu Dhabi criminal court sentenced Nurmagomedov to six months in prison, a Dh300,000 fine and deportation over the hotel brawl — a court conviction on the public record, not an unproven allegation.

On Wednesday 11 November, Dvalishvili was doing an interview for RAF in the lobby of the Yas Hilton when Nurmagomedov and his associates approached him from behind and attacked him and his friend Saba Lazishvili, leaving both hurt . “Was doing an interview for RAF in hotel lobby and Usman and his buddies came up from behind and started punching me and my young friend,” Dvalishvili wrote in a caption to footage of the incident. “Security was holding me – they kept kicking us when we were down like losers” . Video of the brawl circulated widely online, along with a message from a bloodied Dvalishvili saying he had been surprise-attacked by Nurmagomedov and multiple men . Abu Dhabi police arrested eight people involved in the fight plus two who filmed it, referring all of them to the public prosecution . Per the Abu Dhabi Judicial Department, six defendants were sentenced to six months, fined Dh300,000 each and ordered deported after serving their sentences for “disturbing public security, causing panic and endangering lives”; two more received the same sentence for violating privacy by filming and publishing the footage, with their phones confiscated and the footage ordered deleted; and two others were fined Dh50,000 each for disturbing public security and assaulting others — identified in reports as Dvalishvili and Lazishvili, who were released from custody .

Public Reaction and Consequences

RAF CEO and co-founder Chad Bronstein said on Friday that Dvalishvili was back with the team in Abu Dhabi and thanked the authorities: “We would like to express our sincere appreciation to the relevant authorities in Abu Dhabi for their professionalism and support. We remain focused on moving forward and are pleased to have Merab back with us” . The event’s organisers removed Umar Nurmagomedov from the card after the incident, replacing him with Lazishvili, while Dvalishvili’s own match was cleared to go ahead as scheduled . Nurmagomedov had already been banned from attending the event this weekend before his sentencing was handed down .

Current Status

Nurmagomedov is serving a six-month prison sentence in the UAE with a Dh300,000 fine and a deportation order taking effect after the term, per the court’s announced punishments . Dvalishvili and Lazishvili, who had been held in a UAE detention centre since Wednesday’s brawl, were released on Friday; per MMA reporter Ariel Helwani, RAF’s Chad Bronstein worked with authorities to secure their release . Reuters reported it had reached out to the Abu Dhabi Judicial Department and to Nurmagomedov’s representatives for comment . No public statement from Nurmagomedov himself or from the PFL on the conviction has been reported .

Impact on Their Career/Life

A sitting PFL lightweight champion now carries a criminal conviction from a foreign court, a six-month custodial term and a deportation order — the kind of punishment the sport’s champions more commonly face as suspended fighters or fined athletes, not jailed ones . The rivalry that produced the brawl has now run from a UFC title fight to an online feud to a criminal courtroom, and its most famous remaining combatant exits the country in custody while his brother loses his RAF Abu Dhabi slot and Dvalishvili fights on without him . Whatever the PFL decides about a champion serving a jail sentence abroad, Nurmagomedov’s next fight cannot happen until the sentence and deportation are behind him .

Sources

New York Post, “Usman Nurmagomedov gets six-month jail sentence over Abu Dhabi brawl,” 13 November 2026. source
Abu Dhabi Judicial Department, official statement on the Yas Island hotel brawl convictions, 13 November 2026. source
The National, “Eight sentenced to prison by Abu Dhabi court over Nurmagomedov and Dvalishvili hotel brawl,” 13 November 2026. source
Reuters (via Galveston County Daily News), “Mixed Martial Arts-Several jailed over Abu Dhabi hotel brawl ahead of RAF event,” 13 November 2026. source
HITC, “Usman Nurmagomedov’s team receive prison sentences in statement on Merab Dvalishvili brawl,” 13 November 2026. source
Yahoo Sports, “8 people arrested after Abu Dhabi hotel brawl; Usman Nurmagomedov barred from RAF event,” 12 November 2026. source