Arman Tsarukyan criticizes Merab Dvalishvili for hitting Umar Nurmagomedov’s friend

A backstage altercation at RAF Georgia's press conference has drawn criticism from multiple fighters in the Dagestani camp after bantamweight contender Merab Dvalishvili struck a friend of UFC bantamweight prospect Umar Nurmagomedov. The incident occurred during pre-fight festivities ahead of Dvalishvili's wrestling match against Henry Cejudo, when Dvalishvili dismissed a potential matchup with Nurmagomedov, dismissively calling him "spoiled."

UFC lightweight Arman Tsarukyan detailed the sequence to Red Corner MMA, explaining that Nurmagomedov's friend approached Dvalishvili to ask him not to speak disrespectfully about the Dagestani fighter. According to Tsarukyan, Dvalishvili responded by landing a sucker punch while the man was still speaking. "From my point of view, it was wrong," Tsarukyan said. "They just needed to talk and settle things down."

Nurmagomedov himself publicly condemned Dvalishvili's action on social media, writing that in Caucasian culture, a man's true character emerges when there's no crowd or bystanders to intervene. He questioned whether Dvalishvili would have reacted the same way without spectators present. The two sides eventually resolved the dispute one-on-one behind closed doors, shaking hands to end the beef, though the incident has highlighted tensions between the fighters and their respective camps.