Ilia Topuria released the footage of Usman Nurmagomedov and his team jumping Merab This is absolutely cowardly behaviour and has absolutely no place in our sport. What do you guys think? #ufc #mma #usmannurmagomedov #iliatopuria #merabdvalishvili
Ilia Topuria has published footage that he says shows Usman Nurmagomedov and members of his team attacking Merab Dvalishvili. Topuria, who posted the video on social media, called the alleged behaviour "absolutely cowardly" and said it has no place in the sport. The claim is Topuria's own; the footage is his evidence, and the incident has not been independently confirmed.
The post asked fans for their reaction and tagged all three fighters, drawing Topuria into a dispute that does not involve any of his own bouts.
The fighters involved
Topuria, 29, is the Spanish fighter known as El Matador and trains with Climent Club. He is 17-1-0, ranked number one at lightweight and number one in the pound-for-pound listings. His only recorded loss came most recently, a fourth-round KO/TKO defeat to Justin Gaethje in a title fight on June 14, 2026 at UFC Freedom 250. Before that, he finished Charles Oliveira in the first round at UFC 317 in June 2025 and Max Holloway in the third round at UFC 308 in October 2024.
Dvalishvili, 35, is a Georgian bantamweight from the Serra-Longo Fight Team, sitting at 21-6-0 and ranked number one in his division and number two pound for pound. He lost a unanimous decision to Petr Yan in a title fight at UFC 333 on October 24, 2026, his most recent recorded fight. It was his second straight five-round defeat to Yan, after a unanimous-decision loss at UFC 323 in December 2025. His wrestling-heavy style is reflected in his rate of 5.74 takedowns per 15 minutes.
Nurmagomedov, 27, is an unbeaten Russian at 22-0-0 and ranks number 14 in the pound-for-pound listings. He stands five-foot-eleven with a 71-inch reach, and records show him landing 0.33 significant strikes per minute at 52.78 percent accuracy.
Why it matters
- The allegation comes from a top-ranked fighter and carries obvious weight, but it rests on one side's account and footage released by Topuria.
- Dvalishvili is just days past a title-fight loss, which sharpens attention on anything involving him.
- Nurmagomedov's unbeaten record and top-15 pound-for-pound standing mean any disciplinary or reputational fallout would be significant.
There has been no response in this story from Nurmagomedov, his team or Dvalishvili.
