Dvalishvili a no-show at press conference as RAF confirms Nurmagomedov will not attend Abu Dhabi event
Detailed summary
Merab Dvalishvili did not appear at RAF Abu Dhabi's pre-match press conference on Thursday, following his arrest along with Usman Nurmagomedov and eight others.Dvalishvili was…
Merab Dvalishvili did not appear at RAF Abu Dhabi's pre-match press conference on Thursday, following his arrest along with Usman Nurmagomedov and eight others.
Dvalishvili was ambushed by Nurmagomedov and several others as he gave an interview in the lobby of an Abu Dhabi hotel on Wednesday.
Abu Dhabi Police said that eight people involved had been arrested, along with two others who had filmed the incident, and referred them to the Public Prosecutor.
Addressing a question from The National at Thursday's press conference about the incident and Dvalishvili's condition, co-owner and CEO Chad Bronstein said RAF was working with the UAE authorities to get Dvalishvili released.
"We're working through the situation right now. Merab is doing well. We're working through the situation now with the UAE [authorities]. So we're hoping that the situation gets resolved sooner or later," Bronstein said.
Usman Nurmagomedov was not scheduled to wrestle at RAF Abu Dhabi, but his older brother, Umar, is.
Dvalishvili named both brothers in one of his videos about the attack on him and Saba Lazishvili, but Umar was also a notable absence on Thursday. The National has been unable to confirm Umar's involvement in Wednesday's altercation or whether he was one of the 10 people arrested.
Asked by The National what punishments would be meted out to those involved in the fracas, Bronstein simply responded: "Obviously Usman will not be attending our event on Saturday night."
Dvalishvili is scheduled to wrestle Marlon Moraes in a Catchweight Crossover bout while Umar is set to take on former UFC star Urijah Faber in a Lightweight Crossover match.
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