Abu Dhabi hotel brawl: 10 convicted, eight jailed after Yas Island MMA fight
Ten people have been convicted by Abu Dhabi Criminal Court over a brawl involving MMA fighters at a Yas Island hotel. Eight received prison terms and fines of up to Dh300,000.
Ten convicted over violent Yas Hilton altercation involving MMA fighters
The Abu Dhabi Criminal Court has handed down convictions to ten individuals following a violent brawl at the Yas Hilton hotel involving mixed martial arts fighters Usman Nurmagomedov and Merab Dvalishvili, thenationalnews.com reports.
Six of the defendants were sentenced to six months in prison, fined Dh300,000 each — equivalent to approximately $81,700 — and ordered deported upon completion of their sentences. The Abu Dhabi Judicial Department said in a statement that the charges related to disturbing public security, causing panic and endangering lives.
Two further defendants were fined Dh50,000 each for "disturbing public security and assaulting others". The remaining two convicted individuals received six-month prison terms, Dh300,000 fines and deportation orders for "violating privacy by using information technology to film and publish footage of the brawl". The court also ordered the confiscation of their phones and the deletion of the recorded material.
The incident occurred on a Wednesday when Dvalishvili, 35, was giving an interview in the hotel lobby ahead of his scheduled appearance at RAF Abu Dhabi on Saturday. Nurmagomedov and associates approached him during the interview, and a fight broke out. Footage of the altercation circulated widely on social media.
Nurmagomedov was not on the RAF Abu Dhabi fight card but was present in the capital to support his older brother, Umar, who was set to face Urijah Faber. Dvalishvili was scheduled to meet Marlon Moraes in a Catchweight Crossover match at Etihad Arena that Saturday night, in what was RAF's first event in the Middle East.
Following the brawl, Dvalishvili posted several videos on his social media channels. "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," he wrote. "Security was holding me — they kept kicking us when we were down like losers."
The two fighters carry a documented rivalry. In 2025, Dvalishvili defeated Umar Nurmagomedov at UFC 311 by unanimous decision to retain the UFC bantamweight title. Tensions flared again in recent months when Dvalishvili was involved in a separate altercation with an associate of Umar's ahead of RAF Georgia, after which the two exchanged public insults.
RAF CEO and co-founder Chad Bronstein confirmed on Friday that Dvalishvili had rejoined the team in Abu Dhabi. "I am pleased to share that Merab Dvalishvili is back with us in Abu Dhabi. 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," Bronstein said in a statement.
Source: Google News UAE — Courts & Fraud