Eight Jailed in Abu Dhabi After Nurmagomedov-Dvalishvili Brawl
Eight people are going to prison over a hotel brawl in Abu Dhabi that involved MMA fighters Usman Nurmagomedov and Merab Dvalishvili and their teams. All 10 people arrested were convicted.
Six months, fines and deportation
Six defendants received six months in prison and a £62,000 fine each. They are to be deported once the sentence is served. An Abu Dhabi news outlet reported that the charge was endangering lives and causing panic by disturbing public security.
Two more defendants got the same punishment on a different charge: filming the brawl and publishing the footage, which counted as a privacy violation involving information technology. The last two were fined £10,200 each for disturbing public security and assaulting others.
The verdicts came in a social media post by Abu Dhabi's judicial department, and BBC Sport has asked the department for confirmation.
Dvalishvili is out, the card goes on
RAF co-founder Chad Bronstein said Dvalishvili had been released from custody. "I'm pleased to share that Merab Dvalishvili is back with us in Abu Dhabi," he said in a statement.
Dvalishvili, 35, is due to fight Brazilian Marlon Moraes at the RAF event in the UAE on Saturday.
Nurmagomedov, 28, is in the city to support his brother Umar, who had been set to face American Urijah Faber on the same card. Saba Lazishvili, a team-mate of Dvalishvili, has taken Umar's place. He was in the brawl too and appears to have been let go.
The Nurmagomedov contract question
Nurmagomedov holds the PFL lightweight title, though his contract with the promotion ended after his last win there in July. He has been heavily linked with a move to the UFC.
On Friday UFC president Dana White said he had not spoken to the Russian. He dismissed the altercation as ridiculous and stupid.
How the brawl began
The two camps had met before, at a Real American Freestyle (RAF) event in July. UFC champion Islam Makhachev, who is close to the Nurmagomedovs and trains with them, suggested that earlier clash led to Wednesday's fight.
A video of the fight appeared to show Nurmagomedov, a Russian, approaching Georgian Dvalishvili from behind and slapping him. Dvalishvili is a former UFC bantamweight champion.
The slap set off a wider fight, and members of both teams joined in. Abu Dhabi police later confirmed that 10 arrests were made.
Dvalishvili then posted a video, while being treated for a bloodied face, calling Nurmagomedov and his team "snakes".
Source: BBC Sport