Merab Dvalishvili got caught in a brutal sneak attack from Usman Nurmagomedov and his Dagestani crew right in an Abu Dhabi hotel lobby. Footage of the incident showed Dvalishvili in the middle of an interview when Nurmagomedov just approached him from behind and slapped him. Talk about a cheap shot! Things absolutely blew up fast, escalating into a full-on brawl, with Dvalishvili’s friend, Saba Lazishvili, jumping into the fray and even taking down two Dagestani fighters.
That Abu Dhabi Ambush Just Blew Up
This whole thing drew widespread criticism across the MMA community. You know it’s bad when everyone’s piling on. Ilia Topuria, always outspoken, didn’t hold back, calling Nurmagomedov and his men absolute cowards. He even claimed the undefeated PFL fighter had been detained after the incident. But then Conor McGregor, the king of controversy himself, jumped into the conversation. His reaction, though, took a completely wild turn, pulling an old ghost out of the closet.
McGregor’s Infamous Dolly Attack Gets A Remix
Instead of just criticizing, McGregor shared a morphed image, referencing his infamous UFC 223 bus attack on Khabib Nurmagomedov and his team from eight years ago. The picture was wild, with Topuria’s head edited onto McGregor’s body as he’s launching that dolly through the bus window. It was a direct shout-out to the fan uproar about Topuria potentially traveling halfway across the world to confront Nurmagomedov and his entourage in retaliation for Dvalishvili’s ambush. Remember that April 5, 2018, attack? McGregor and his crew stormed the Barclays Center loading dock in Brooklyn, New York, smashing a bus carrying Khabib Nurmagomedov and other fighters. McGregor grabbed a metal hand truck, that now-legendary dolly, and hurled it right through the bus window, shattering the glass and injuring multiple people on board. That whole mess was reportedly payback for an earlier confrontation where Nurmagomedov and his crew cornered and slapped McGregor’s close friend and teammate, Artem Lobov. McGregor literally flew from Ireland to New York on a private jet just to confront Nurmagomedov. While Khabib himself escaped unharmed, the collateral damage was real, and three fights were even scrapped from UFC 223 because of it. Michael Chiesa vs. Anthony Pettis and Ray Borg vs. Brandon Moreno were both canceled, and Lobov got pulled from his bout with Alex Caceres. That was a chaotic night, man.
The MMA World Is Already Asking: Will Topuria Follow Suit?
Now, after this Dvalishvili incident, a ton of fans are actually calling for Topuria to step into McGregor’s shoes. Some are even joking about Topuria showing up at Nurmagomedov’s bus and throwing Hasbulla through the window to avenge his Georgian friend. Alongside that morphed image, McGregor dropped a message of his own, writing, “I’m loving the #CONORWASRIGHT #CONORWASRIGHTALLALONG trending right now! Thanks, guys, I love you all too! It’s all love, keep your eyes on.” This rivalry is absolutely heating up, with fans, fighters, and legends like McGregor all chiming in on what’s next. The question everyone’s asking now is, what *will* Topuria do?
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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