Usman Nurmagomedov attack on Merab Dvalishvili: Dana White hits out at RAF
Usman Nurmagomedov and seven others have reportedly been sentenced to six months in jail over the brawl before RAF Abu Dhabi, as the UFC chief says fights break out at every RAF event.
Dana White has said RAF should by now have worked out how to stop fights breaking out at its events, after Usman Nurmagomedov and several members of his team attacked Merab Dvalishvili before RAF Abu Dhabi.
Nurmagomedov, the PFL lightweight champion, started the melee with a cheap shot while Dvalishvili, the former UFC bantamweight champion, was giving an interview. Dvalishvili and a teammate were left bloodied and bruised. Nurmagomedov and seven others have reportedly been sentenced to six months in jail over the incident.
White was asked about the attack ahead of UFC 334 in New York. He said trouble tends to follow the team around Khabib Nurmagomedov and fighters such as Khamzat Chimaev, adding: “And, the RAF, there’s literally a fist fight at every one of these things.” The UFC has allowed its fighters, most notably Arman Tsarukyan and Chimaev, to compete regularly in RAF wrestling matches. Tsarukyan has been involved in brawls this year with Georgio Poullas and Dillon Danis, while Chimaev and Danis were involved in a brawl after their June match at RAF 10. In July, Belal Muhammad attacked Colby Covington at the RAF 11 post-event press conference.
White said he hoped the latest incident would make RAF rethink its approach. He rejected the idea that such scenes benefit the sport: “People always ask me, ‘Oh, isn’t this good for you?’ No, it’s never good.” The UFC chief did not exempt himself from criticism. He said his biggest lesson came in the aftermath of Khabib Nurmagomedov's submission win over Conor McGregor, and that he took the blame himself, rather than his team, for the most recent clash between Khabib's team and Danis, because he knew Danis was there.
On the danger of the Abu Dhabi attack, White said: “So, yeah. It’s not good. Not good, don’t like it, and, obviously, it’s super dangerous. And to do it in a place like the Middle East? And what if any of you get seriously injured?”
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