UFC star Ilia Topuria releases shocking footage of Merab Dvalishvili being attacked by Usman Nurmagomedov and crew

Ilia Topuria has released shocking footage of Merab Dvalishvili being attacked from behind by Usman Nurmagomedov and his crew in Abu Dhabi.

On Wednesday, former UFC bantamweight champion Dvalishvili took to Instagram to share a video of him and a friend looking bloodied and beaten as he claimed he had been jumped by Nurmagomedov and members of his entourage.

Accompanied by his video message as he received treatment for his injuries, Dvalishvili wrote: "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. Security was holding me - They kept kicking us when we were down like losers."

Dvalishvili claimed that he and his friend were ambushed by 20 people

Following up, former lightweight and featherweight champion leaked the footage of the hotel attack - which began with a sucker punch from Nurmagomedov as Dvalishvili gave an interview.

On X, Topuria didn't mince his words writing: "You’re a bunch of cowards, and you’ll be held accountable for what you’ve done. You’re anything but real men."

The footage showed all hell breaking loose in the lobby, with security desperately trying to intervene to put a stop to the wild brawl.

Dvalishvili is poised to take on Marlon Moraes in a freestyle wrestling contest at RAF Abu Dhabi this Saturday but there are major doubts

while Nurmagomedov, cousin of undefeated UFC legend Khabib, is a former PFL champion and current free agent.

Their animosity dates back to when Dvalishvili squared off against Umar Nurmagomedov, Usman's brother under the UFC banner, with the feud escalating to violent levels in recent times.

Dvalishvili beat Nurmagomedov via unanimous decision to defend the UFC bantamweight title at UFC 311 in January 2025.

In a second video uploaded on his Instagram story from what appeared to be a hospital waiting room, Dvalishvili praised his friend for taking on the Russians and claimed they were kicking and punching throughout.

He finished by speaking to his fans and telling them "Life is good guys", before putting his thumbs up to the camera.

More to follow...