🚨 Arman Tsarukyan DEFENDS Usman Nurmagomedov after the violent brawl with Merab Dvalishvili in Abu Dhabi! Arman says the confrontation was INEVITABLE after what happened between Merab and the Nurmagomedov camp in the past. 🗣️ “There was bound to be retaliation, and it happened.” 🎥: (@adam.zuba) Translated: (@champ.rds)
Arman Tsarukyan has publicly sided with Usman Nurmagomedov following the brawl between Nurmagomedov and Merab Dvalishvili in Abu Dhabi, describing the clash as something that was always going to happen.
Tsarukyan said the confrontation was inevitable given the history between Dvalishvili and the Nurmagomedov camp. In his words, as paraphrased from the translated clip, there was bound to be retaliation, and it came. The remarks were first captured on video by @adam.zuba and translated by @champ.rds.
The fighters
Tsarukyan, 30, is the No. 2 lightweight contender and carries a 24-3 record for American Top Team. He is coming off a first-round KO/TKO of Mauricio Ruffy at UFC 331 on September 19, his most recent recorded fight. Before that he submitted Dan Hooker in the second round in November 2025, so he has won his last three recorded bouts, a run that began with a split decision over Charles Oliveira at UFC 300. He lands 3.78 significant strikes per minute at 49 percent accuracy and averages 3.25 takedowns per 15 minutes.
Nurmagomedov, 27, is unbeaten at 22-0 and sits 14th in the pound-for-pound rankings. The Russian stands five-foot-eleven with a 71-inch reach. His numbers show a measured approach, with 0.33 significant strikes landed per minute at 52.78 percent accuracy and 0.65 takedowns per 15 minutes.
Dvalishvili, 35, is the No. 1 bantamweight and ranked second pound for pound, with a 21-6 record. The Georgian fights out of the Serra-Longo Fight Team. His most recent recorded fight was a unanimous decision loss to Petr Yan in a title fight at UFC 333 on October 24. That followed an earlier unanimous decision defeat to Yan at UFC 323 in December 2025, so he has dropped his last two recorded bouts, both over five rounds.
Why it matters
- Tsarukyan's comments add a voice from the lightweight top five to a feud that has now spilled outside the cage.
- Dvalishvili's two straight title-fight losses to Yan come as his name is tied to this conflict, with a five-round distance in both defeats.
- The grappling gap on paper is wide: Dvalishvili averages 5.74 takedowns per 15 minutes, nearly nine times Nurmagomedov's 0.65.
