Dana White Blasts RAF Over Security Failures Following Usman Nurmagomedov-Merab Dvalishvili Brawl
· Yahoo Sports
It has been two days since Usman Nurmagomedov’s sneak attack on Merab Dvalishvili. Footage of the incident showed the Dagestani entourage approaching the Georgian, with the PFL champion slapping him first.
The situation quickly escalated into a full-blown brawl, with multiple individuals getting involved. The incident has since drawn reactions from several prominent MMA figures, including Islam Makhachev, Ilia Topuria, Israel Adesanya, and Sean Strickland.
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Now, Dana White has joined the list. And it is safe to say that the UFC CEO was far from impressed with the behavior displayed by the Dagestani crew in the Yas Hilton hotel lobby. Speaking to the media at the UFC 334 pre-fight press conference, White did not hold back in his assessment of the incident.
He said, “What a bunch of f*cking idiots. It’s absolutely ridiculous and stupid, and they’re all in jail. That is not a place to go f*ck around.”
Dana White is asked about the Usman Nurmagomedov and Merab Dvalishvili brawl:
“It’s absolutely ridiculous and stupid. They’re all in jail. That is not a place to go f*ck around.” https://t.co/4FlvbWIjYS
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) November 12, 2026
White offered further insight into the situation during an interview with former UFC fighter Stefan Struve. While reiterating that the Middle East was not a place to engage in such behavior, he also took a shot at RAF Wrestling over its security management. He added, “The RAF, I mean, there’s literally a fishfight at every single one of these.”
Struve then pointed out that the UFC does a much better job of managing security at its events. White agreed, while recalling the infamous altercation involving Khabib Nurmagomedov’s team and Dillon Danis at UFC 229.
He said, “Well, the RAF guys, you’d think they would learn after a couple of these and figure out how to stop this from happening, and normally what we do is, we know when there’s beefs and we do our best.”
He added, “The last one that happened with Khabib’s crew and Dillon Danis [UFC 229], I completely blame myself for that. I knew he was there. I messed up on that one, not my team.”
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White further stressed that getting involved in such an altercation in a sensitive location like the UAE was an especially unwise decision. He said, “Not good. Don’t like it and obviously you know, super dangerous and to do it in a place like the Middle East.”
The UFC CEO also provided an update on the individuals involved, confirming that Dvalishvili and the others remained in custody at the time of his comments. He said, “Yeah, they are in jail. As of three hours ago, they are all still in jail.”
Abu Dhabi Police announced that eight people involved in the altercation had been arrested. Two additional individuals were also detained for filming the brawl, bringing the total number of people taken into custody to 10.
All were referred to the Public Prosecution for further legal proceedings. However, authorities have not publicly identified everyone detained. Meanwhile, RAF officials confirmed Thursday that Nurmagomedov would not be allowed to attend Saturday’s event.
The promotion is working with local authorities and remains hopeful that Dvalishvili will be released in time to compete against former UFC title challenger Marlon Moraes.