Justice was swift for PFL lightweight champ Usman Nurmagomedov and members of his team after a hotel brawl involving Merab Dvalishvili and another wrestler participating in a Real American Freestyle event in the region.
Several videos have surfaced online of Dvalishvili giving an interview while Nurmagomedov and others were walking up to him from behind. The PFL champ interrupted the interview and hit Dvalishvili and the brawl ensued.
Six members of Team Nurmagomedov were sentenced to six months in prison and fined $300,000 AED each which is the equivalent of approximately $82,000 U.S. dollars.
Dvalishvili and his friend were fined $50,000 AED for “disturbing public security and assaulting others.” They did not receive prison sentences.
The two people filming the fight were sentenced to six months in prison, fined $300,000 AED each and ordered to be deported “for violating privacy by using information technology to film and publish footage of the brawl.”
The genesis of the brief stems from Dvalishvili slapping a friend of Umar Nurmagomedov at an RAF show in Georgia in August.
Payout Perspective:
Swift justice for Team Nurmogomedov. Notably, when Magomed Zaynukov started a brawl with Dillon Danis, there were no repercussions for the crew that beat up Danis. But, at least there is some semblance of law in Abu Dhabi with everyone participating serving six months prison sentences. While I personally think that the length of prison time is stiff, it shows the need for respect and decorum in the country. How this impacts Nurmogomedov’s PFL title reign is an interesting question as he likely won’t be able to fight until late spring if he serves out the full term of the sentence.
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