Umar Nurmagomedov has finally addressed the altercation involving his friend, Ahmed Gadzhimagomedov, and Merab Dvalishvili at the Real American Freestyle event in Georgia last month. And unsurprisingly, the Dagestani fighter was critical of his former opponent after footage showed Dvalishvili slapping Gadzhimagomedov during a heated exchange.

During a conversation with Russian journalist Adam Zyubaraev, Umar Nurmagomedov slammed Merab Dvalishvili, stating that it was the former UFC bantamweight champion who needed to take responsibility for the confrontation. He also questioned how anyone could defend Merab’s actions.

“He’s the one who has to live with it,” Nurmagomedov said in Russian. “For example, can you imagine a Georgian coming up to me in Dagestan? If a Georgian tells me not to talk to Merab, and I hit him from behind and insult him in my own language, I can’t imagine myself doing that.

“But as a person, how do you live with that? And the people who defend it, that means there’s something wrong there. You have to call wrong things wrong. No matter who does it.”

The incident occurred during the pre-event press conference for RAF Georgia, where Dvalishvili was preparing to compete against Henry Cejudo. At one point during the presser, a fan asked Dvalishvili about a potential wrestling match with Umar, to which he replied, “f— that guy,” adding that he would fight anyone but that “spoiled guy.” That reportedly prompted Gadzhimagomedov to approach him.

Well, it won’t be a stretch to say that moving towards ‘The Machine’ in the heat of the moment wasn’t a good idea. But Umar Nurmagomedov revealed that his friend simply wanted to talk to Merab Dvalishvili and had no intention of starting a brawl.

“Yeah, Ahmad walked up to him and said, ‘Why are you speaking for someone who isn’t even here?’” Nurmagomedov said. “He didn’t insult him, didn’t say anything rude, didn’t show any disrespect. He said, ‘Tell him to his face what you want to say. Why are you swearing here?’”

The footage of the altercation showed Merab slapping Gadzhimagomedov while shouting, “What’s your problem?” Still, whether Umar’s friend actually instigated something or not remains unclear. Also, the former bantamweight champion is yet to clear up whether an exchange of words took place between him and Umar’s friend that prompted him to slap Gadzhimagomedov. So, there are definitely some unanswered questions surrounding the incident.

Still, the incident added another chapter to the long-running animosity between Dvalishvili and Nurmagomedov.

The two fighters previously settled their rivalry inside the Octagon at UFC 311 in January 2025, with Dvalishvili earning a unanimous decision victory after five competitive rounds. Their rivalry also featured a heated confrontation around fight week, and the animosity between the two camps has seemingly continued despite the bout being over.

Now, while ‘The Young Eagle’ has made it clear that he remains unhappy with Merab’s conduct at RAF Georgia, he isn’t alone in feeling this way.

Arman Tsarukyan holds Merab Dvalishvili accountable for starting the scuffle with Umar’s friend

Alongside Merab, Arman Tsarukyan also starred at Real American Freestyle’s Georgia event, where he delivered a dominant victory over Kazakhstan’s Kuat Khamitov via an 11-0 technical fall. Being present during the press conference, he also witnessed the melee that unfolded between ‘The Machine’ and Umar’s friend.

Reflecting on the incident, the Armenian, who is set to face Mauricio Ruffy at UFC 331 in September, claimed that Dvalishvili was responsible for escalating the situation.

“The scuffle began after Merab sucker-punched the guy, who was actually trying to say, ‘Don’t talk bad about our brother while we are here.’ And Merab punched him while he was talking,” Tsarukyan told Red Corner MMA. “From my point of view, it was wrong. They just needed to talk and settle things down. Then, when they got locked in that room, they started fighting one-on-one. They squashed it and shook hands.”

Arman Tsarukyan’s account suggests that the confrontation eventually ended without serious consequences. He also indicated that the two men later settled their differences after fighting one-on-one in a separate room.

However, though Tsarukyan’s reaction to the scuffle was genuine, it’s worth noting that he also has some history of animosity with Merab Dvalishvili. Previously, the former bantamweight champion criticized Tsarukyan for continuing to push the pace against Urijah Faber during their RAF showdown in April 2026, calling it “disappointing.”

Later, Merab also shared that the Armenian was open to wrestling him after Henry Cejudo withdrew from the RAF event, despite their significant size difference. The Georgian ultimately turned down the matchup.

With many details still yet to unfold, it would be interesting to see whether ‘The Machine’ reveals his side of the story or decides to maintain his silence.