Vallejos calls on UFC Qatar foe Sterling to avenge Dvalishvili after Abu Dhabi brawl

Kevin Vallejos took a light-hearted swipe at the rivalry between his upcoming opponent and a mutual ally on November 11, calling on Aljamain Sterling to set aside their differences and help avenge the hotel attack on Sterling’s teammate Merab Dvalishvili.

Vallejos (18-1) and Sterling (26-5) are scheduled to meet at UFC Qatar on November 21. But after footage emerged of Usman Nurmagomedov slapping Dvalishvili and sparking an all-out brawl at an Abu Dhabi hotel — while the former UFC bantamweight champion was filming a video — Vallejos posted a tongue-in-cheek rallying cry on X.

“WE are in Qatar,” Vallejos wrote. “Sterling where are you? Let’s go to Abu Dhabi and beat up the bad guys.”

Dvalishvili, known as “The Machine,” later posted on social media showing cuts and bruises sustained during the altercation, confirming that Nurmagomedov and his entourage had initiated the confrontation.

Vallejos was not the only fighter to react. Several high-profile names condemned Nurmagomedov’s conduct, including featherweight champion Ilia Topuria, former middleweight champion Sean Strickland, veteran welterweight Gilbert Burns, and flyweight contender Dakota Ditcheva.

While the post from Vallejos was clearly made in jest — the two men will still be looking to finish each other inside the Octagon in Qatar — it underlines how widely the incident has reverberated across the MMA community. The attack on Dvalishvili, a close friend and training partner of Sterling, has drawn near-universal criticism from fighters across multiple weight classes.

With UFC Qatar now less than two weeks away, both Vallejos and Sterling will need to refocus on their own contest, which carries significant bantamweight implications for both men.