Ali Abdelaziz apologises after Nurmagomedov slaps Dvalishvili in Abu Dhabi hotel lobby

Usman Nurmagomedov has been detained by law enforcement in Abu Dhabi after approaching former UFC bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili from behind in a hotel lobby on Wednesday and slapping him. Dvalishvili, who was filming a video at the time, and a friend fought back against Nurmagomedov’s entourage despite being heavily outnumbered.

Nurmagomedov’s manager, Ali Abdelaziz, has since issued a public apology on his fighter’s behalf, directing his remorse primarily at the city of Abu Dhabi.

“On behalf of myself and my team, I want to apologize to the whole city of Abu Dhabi about what occurred the other day,” Abdelaziz told MMA Junkie. “I’m truly sorry, and it’s embarrassing what happened. I hope this young man learns a good lesson. This is something that should not happen again. All of our guys have to set a good example, and our job is to add to the city… What happened was something unacceptable, and this is something that should never happen again.”

Abdelaziz described the undefeated Russian lightweight’s behaviour as completely unacceptable, expressing hope that Nurmagomedov takes a meaningful lesson from the consequences he now faces.

Nurmagomedov has been banned from attending Real American Freestyle’s event on Saturday, at which Dvalishvili was scheduled to face Marlon Moraes. Whether Dvalishvili will still compete in that bout remains uncertain following the altercation.