Usman Nurmagomedov and Merab Dvalishvili’s bloody brawl at the Yas Island hotel lobby on Wednesday captured everyone’s attention. However, Merab’s friend, 21-year-old Georgian wrestler Saba Lazishvili, also stole the spotlight for his role in the brawl. The viral clip of the altercation shows Lazishvili assisting Dvalishvili to fend off Usman and his entourage. In doing so, Lazishvili, who has no MMA experience, knocked out two of Usman’s teammates during the melee.

Lazishvili’s display of fearlessly fighting back while outnumbered made him an overnight star. Now many want the Georgian wrestler to start fighting in the UFC. Regarding that, former UFC heavyweight Stefan Struve asked Dana White in a recent interview whether he is interested in signing Lazishvili to the roster. The UFC CEO dropped a hint, but there is a condition attached to it.

“Yeah, everyone is talking about him and how he had his back,” White said.

Looking at the UFC CEO’s glowing description, Struve asked him whether he is interested.

“I’m sure he will make his way to the UFC. Eventually,” White added.

An impressed Dana White definitely left the door open for Saba Lazishvili to fight in the UFC. However, the head honcho also hinted that Merab’s friend signing wouldn’t be immediate. In fact, White suggested that Lazishvili had to prove himself outside the UFC, in another MMA promotion, before finally moving into it.

Despite Saba Lazishvili dropping two of Usman’s team during the altercation in Abu Dhabi, he is still not a professional MMA fighter. He is a wrestler out of Georgia with ‘zero’ MMA fights under his belt, not even amateur.

To fight in the UFC, an athlete needs to turn professional first and then earn a spot in the promotion. For example, Gable Steveson was an Olympian wrestler, but he had to fight in other promotions and turn pro before moving to the UFC.

That explains the restraint behind Dana White’s cautious commitment toward signing him. But a more important question begs to be asked: does Lazishvili actually want to compete in MMA?

Merab Dvalishvili went live on Instagram right after the brawl with his friend and made an interesting revelation. The former UFC bantamweight champ, while reflecting on his friend fighting alongside him, revealed that Lazishvili wants to transition to MMA.

“My young friend, he’s only a 21-year-old wrestler from Georgia, and he was with me,” Merab said. “He fought brothers Usman and Umar, and he has this much (cuts) on his face. And he said, ‘I’m moving to MMA.’”

That clearly confirms the Georgian wrestler’s aspirations of competing in the cage. Interestingly, Saba Lazishvili’s brother Zviad Lazishvili is an MMA fighter who also fought in the UFC against Jonathan Martinez in 2021.

Plus, Lazishvili also trains at Syndicate MMA alongside Merab, Aljamain Sterling, and others under coach John Wood. So, if the Georgian does make that decision, there is plenty of help behind him. The condition, however, is that he needs to become a professional fighter first by competing outside the UFC.

For now, at least, Saba Lazishvili’s immediate focus remains on a freestyle wrestling bout against a former UFC fighter.

Saba Lazishvili is set to fight Urijah Faber at RAF Abu Dhabi

In a dramatic turn of events, the Abu Dhabi Justice Department convicted 10 people over the brawl at the Yas Island hotel. Alongside Usman Nurmagomedov and the members of his group, Merab and his friend were also convicted. However, the judgment left the entire MMA world stunned.

The court punished Usman Nurmagomedov and his group with six months of jail time and a 300,000 UAE dirham (approx $80,000) fine. The authorities handed the two people who recorded the incident and posted it on social media the same prison time and fine. However, Merab Dvalishvili and Saba Lazishvili ended up escaping jail time.

The Abu Dhabi court slapped Dvalishvili and his friend with a fine of 50,000 UAE dirhams (approx $13,600) for creating ruckus and disturbance, but did not sentence them to prison. Because of this, both found their place in RAF’s event on November 14.

Initially, Usman’s elder brother, Umar Nurmagomedov, was set to face Urijah Faber at the event. But after the court sentenced Usman, his brother ended up opting out of the bout and Saba Lazishvili replaced him to clash against Faber at the event.

On the other hand, Merab Dvalishvili will fight his original opponent, Marlon Moraes, too.

If Lazishvili ends up beating Faber next, his popularity will skyrocket, and we could see him debut in MMA. And if that happens, in no time we could see him fighting in the UFC.