Dvalishvili Details Backstage Incident with Nurmagomedov's Friend

Merab Dvalishvili described an incident where he slapped a friend of Umar Nurmagomedov at RAF Georgia after being grabbed by the neck backstage. This confrontation occurred shortly after Dvalishvili's victory over Henry Cejudo in a wrestling match.

Following his comments about not wanting to face Nurmagomedov, Ahmed Gadzhimagomedov confronted Dvalishvili, leading to the altercation. Dvalishvili explained that he was approached while resting and was startled when Gadzhimagomedov seized him and yelled in Russian.

Dvalishvili asserted that Gadzhimagomedov had no right to intervene in his dispute with Nurmagomedov. He also expressed his ongoing dislike for Nurmagomedov and his manager, Rizvan Magomedov, who he accused of making derogatory posts about him online. Dvalishvili previously defeated Nurmagomedov at UFC 311, marking the latter's first professional loss.