A Friday press conference for Real American Freestyle's RAF Georgia turned into a shouting match after Merab Dvalishvili was asked about Umar Nurmagomedov. The exchange spilled past the microphones and forced security personnel and police to move in as members of Nurmagomedov's entourage reacted to Dvalishvili's remarks.
The flashpoint came as Dvalishvili was promoting a wrestling match with Henry Cejudo, the former two-division UFC champion and Olympic gold medalist scheduled to face him at RAF Georgia. When the subject shifted to Nurmagomedov, Dvalishvili answered sharply: he said he would fight whoever RAF chose, but not “this spoiled guy.”
That answer was enough to ignite the room. Sportall.ge reported that the confrontation began after one attendee challenged Dvalishvili over previous comments he had made about Nurmagomedov. La Gazzetta Georgia later said several people from the Caucasus tried to push through the security cordon toward the room where the Georgian athletes were gathered, adding another layer of disorder to a promotion that was supposed to build interest in a wrestling event.
The dispute did not appear out of nowhere. It is the latest burst of friction in a rivalry that has simmered since UFC 311 in January 2025, when Dvalishvili defeated Nurmagomedov by unanimous decision with scores of 48-47, 48-47 and 49-46. Nurmagomedov's camp has said a broken hand during that bout kept him from fighting at his best, while Dvalishvili has brushed off those claims and said Nurmagomedov was handed his championship chance too early and has not earned another crack at him.
Nurmagomedov, 30, responded after clips of the altercation spread online. On X, he wrote that a man is defined by honor, dignity and hospitality, said his friend had only asked why Dvalishvili was talking behind someone's back, and added that no crowd or security guard is needed to show who someone really is. He has also said more than once that avenging his lone professional defeat matters more to him than rushing into another title shot.
For now, the argument leaves RAF Georgia with the kind of attention no promoter wants and the kind it still uses. Dvalishvili is still scheduled to face Cejudo, but the scene at the press conference made clear that the Nurmagomedov feud has not stayed in the past. It followed both men into the room, and it is now part of whatever comes next.
