Merab Dvalishvili Cleared to Face Marlon Moraes as Saba Lazishvili Replaces Umar Nurmagomedov at RAF Abu Dhabi
· Yahoo Sports
After Merab Dvalishvili was attacked by Usman Nurmagomedov and his Dagestani entourage just days before RAF Abu Dhabi, fans began questioning whether the Georgian’s scheduled bout would go ahead. The former UFC bantamweight champion suffered cuts to his face and was left bloodied following the altercation.
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Adding to the uncertainty, Dvalishvili remained in police custody alongside Saba Lazishvili and eight other members of the Dagestani contingent involved in the brawl. However, Dvalishvili and Lazishvili have now been released, thanks to the efforts of Real American Freestyle (RAF) CEO and co-founder Chad Bronstein.
Although both Georgians were convicted and fined approximately $14,000 each, neither received a prison sentence. With their legal troubles seemingly behind them, Dvalishvili’s scheduled wrestling match against Marlon Moraes is now set to proceed as planned.
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RAF Wrestling took to social media to confirm that Dvalishvili’s bout against Moraes would go ahead tomorrow night. However, the promotion also had a surprise announcement for fans. Lazishvili has been added to the card and will now face UFC legend Urijah Faber in a catchweight crossover bout.
The 21-year-old Georgian will replace Umar Nurmagomedov, who was originally scheduled to face Faber. The change comes after an Abu Dhabi court reportedly sentenced all eight members of the Dagestani contingent to six months in prison and fined each of them approximately $82,000.
While the court’s ruling did not publicly identify the individuals sentenced, speculation has intensified over whether the Dagestani bantamweight was among those convicted. If so, he would be unavailable for the RAF event. Meanwhile, Usman Nurmagomedov had already been barred from attending RAF Abu Dhabi, as confirmed by the promotion.
Following Dvalishvili’s release, RAF issued a statement welcoming the former UFC champion back to Abu Dhabi. It said, “I’m pleased to share that Merab Dvalishvili is back with us in Abu Dhabi. We would like to express our sincere appreciation to the relevant authorities in Abu Dhabi for their professionalism and support. We remain focused on moving forward and are pleased to have Merab back with us.”
Interestingly, Lazishvili has no professional MMA experience, with his competitive background rooted entirely in amateur freestyle wrestling. He has also spent time training in the United States alongside high-level MMA camps.
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The 21-year-old relocated to the US to train with prominent Georgian and American combat sports athletes. His training circles include Dvalishvili and Aljamain Sterling, as well as athletes associated with Syndicate MMA.
However, Lazishvili is no stranger to the world of combat sports, as he happens to be the younger brother of Zviad Lazishvili, a veteran Georgian MMA fighter, former LFA bantamweight champion, and former UFC competitor.
Now that his legal troubles are behind him, the younger Lazishvili has landed a major opportunity at RAF Abu Dhabi, stepping in to face a former WEC champion on short notice.