Islam Makhachev defended Usman Nurmagomedov after an unexpected confrontation involving Merab Dvalishvili in Abu Dhabi.
The incident occurred while Dvalishvili was giving an interview ahead of an upcoming RAF wrestling card, when the Russian fighter and his companions approached him in a surprise encounter, according to reports by The Shield Of Sports.
While the Nurmagomedov team faced widespread condemnation for the altercation, the UFC lightweight champion offered a different perspective on social media.
Makhachev pointed to a prior incident in July involving Dvalishvili in Tbilisi, Georgia, during another RAF card event.
“To those who are now condemning Usman and the other guys, and directing insults at them: why did you remain silent when Merab hit a Dagestani fighter for no reason, wounding his honor?” Makhachev wrote online.
“That man had approached him to talk, with no ill intent. It was Merab who started what happened today in his own land, allowing himself to hit a guest and insult his mother,” Makhachev said.
During the previous encounter in Georgia, Dvalishvili confronted a Dagestani man who had criticized Nurmagomedov at a press conference, resulting in a physical altercation where the former bantamweight champion struck the man.
The latest confrontation took place in Abu Dhabi, which serves as the host city for the next RAF wrestling card.
Authorities and event organizers have not yet released official disciplinary measures regarding the participants involved in the Abu Dhabi altercation.
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