Merab Dvalishvili came home to Tbilisi as the headliner of RAF Georgia’s international debut, sharing the mat with Henry Cejudo in a wrestling rematch of their 2024 UFC bout. But his old rivalry with Umar Nurmagomedov showed up one day before he ever stepped on the mat.
Dvalishvili has never hidden his disdain for Umar since defeating him in a bantamweight title defense back in Jan. 2025, and that bad blood followed him straight into the RAF press conference.
When a reporter brought up Umar’s name and a possible future wrestling match, the former UFC Bantamweight Champion didn’t hold back on the mockery, and the room turned hostile sooner than expected. It literally turned into a scuffle involving a retired Russian wrestler, and now a new angle of that chaos is circulating online.
New Angle Shows Merab Dvalishvili Slap Umar Nurmagomedov Supporter at RAF Georgia
A new angle of the scuffle from the RAF Georgia press conference, shared by @Home_of_Fight, shows the former UFC bantamweight champion slapping a man identified in the clip as Akhmed Gadzhimagomedov after the two got into it on stage.
The footage was filmed on a phone from the crowded press room floor. The main chaos started when Dvalishvili was asked at the presser whether he’d wrestle Nurmagomedov under the RAF banner. He didn’t hold back: “No, never, f—- that guy. Whoever RAF choose, I’ll fight. Except this spoiled guy.”
That line set off Umar’s wrestling champion friend’s camp in the room. Moments later, Gadzhimagomedov approached Dvalishvili and pressed him, in Russian, about his issue with Umar. Dvalishvili responded by slapping him and shouting, “What’s your problem? What’s your problem?”
😳💥 New angle of Merab Dvalishvili slapping Ahmed Gadzhimagomedov, who confronted him after he made remarks towards Umar Nurmagomedov at the RAF Press Conference
(via mma_russia) 🔹 pic.twitter.com/XZQNFCgc5o
— Home of Fight (@Home_of_Fight) July 11, 2026
Security stepped in super fast and separated the two violent sides. The new angle taken from just behind Dvalishvili offered a clearer look at the contact than the first clips that circulated.
Inside the Bad Blood Between Merab Dvalishvili and Umar Nurmagomedov
This beef goes back to January 2025 at UFC 311, when Merab beat Umar by decision to keep his belt. After the fight, Umar’s team said he lost because of a broken hand, which annoyed Merab and a lot of MMA fans. Merab eventually lost the title to Petr Yan later that year, but he still can’t stand Umar, especially since Umar keeps calling for a rematch.
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Umar wasn’t actually at the press conference, but he responded to the video on X, penning, “In the Caucasus, a man is defined by honor, dignity, and hospitality. My friend only asked why you were talking behind someone’s back. I don’t need to insult you to feel like a man. Who you really are is shown when there’s no crowd and no one to step in.”
On the Caucasus, a man is defined by honor, dignity, and hospitality.
My friend only asked why you were talking behind someone’s back.
I don’t need to insult you to feel like a man.Who you really are is shown when there’s no crowd and no one to step in. pic.twitter.com/Oc5AT9U4sN— Umar Nurmagomedov (@UNmgdv) July 10, 2026
Despite the backstage drama, Merab still wrestled Henry Cejudo in the main event. It was a rare freestyle wrestling match for Merab. Cejudo, an Olympic gold medalist, took an early 8-0 lead, but Merab’s shifted the momentum overwhelmingly. He scored 11 straight points to win 11-8 in front of his hometown crowd.
In this vacuum, the press conference brawl keeps Merab’s rivalry with Umar alive without an official UFC fight scheduled. Both promotions will likely face questions about the incident.
