Russian MMA fighter Usman Nurmagomedov sentenced to six months in UAE prison over brawl with Merab Dvalishvili
A court in Abu Dhabi has convicted 10 people, reportedly including Russian mixed martial arts fighter Usman Nurmagomedov, over a mass brawl in a hotel with Georgian fighter Merab Dvalishvili. Each received six months in prison and a fine, followed by deportation.
Russian mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter Usman Nurmagomedov has been sentenced to six months in prison in the United Arab Emirates over a fight with Georgian fighter Merab Dvalishvili, a former UFC champion. UFC is the world's leading MMA promotion. A source told the Russian news agency TASS about the verdict.
The Abu Dhabi Judicial Department said a court had convicted 10 people in connection with the incident but did not release their names. Each was given a six-month prison term and a fine of 300,000 dirhams, roughly 6.7 million rubles. They will be deported after serving their sentences. The TASS source said several other members of Nurmagomedov's team also received six-month terms.
How the brawl began
The mass brawl involving Nurmagomedov and Dvalishvili broke out in a hotel lobby in Abu Dhabi on November 11. Nurmagomedov approached Dvalishvili while he was giving an interview and slapped him. A video posted later shows Nurmagomedov approaching Dvalishvili from behind.
MMA outlets reported that Nurmagomedov was retaliating because Dvalishvili had earlier slapped a friend of Usman's brother, Umar Nurmagomedov.
Dvalishvili's penalty
The newspaper The National reported that Dvalishvili and his friend were each fined 50,000 dirhams for disturbing public security and assaulting others. They received no jail time.
