Conor McGregor did not need an invitation. Within hours of Usman Nurmagomedov ambushing Merab Dvalishvili in an Abu Dhabi hotel lobby, the former two-division UFC champion had turned the incident into a campaign about himself.

“I’m loving the #CONORWASRIGHT #CONORWASRIGHTALLALONG trending right now,” McGregor wrote on X. “Thanks guys, I love you all too! It’s all love, keep your eyes on the prize!”

The hashtag framed Nurmagomedov’s conduct as retroactive justification of McGregor’s own 2018 bus attack on Khabib Nurmagomedov’s team in Brooklyn, when he threw a metal dolly through a window of the UFC 223 fighter bus and injured two other fighters.

The attack in the lobby

Dvalishvili was recording an interview for the RAF Abu Dhabi freestyle wrestling event on Wednesday when Usman Nurmagomedov, the PFL lightweight champion and a cousin of Khabib, approached from behind and started throwing punches.

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“Was doing an interview for RAF in hotel lobby and Usman and his buddies came up from behind and started punching me and my young friend,” Dvalishvili said in his own account of the incident.

The Georgian bantamweight was thrown to the ground, punched and kicked, and left with head wounds that covered his face in blood. His training partner Saba Lazishvili was also attacked.

Topuria released the footage

Ilia Topuria, a close friend of Dvalishvili, published the footage on his own channels and condemned the group in blunt terms.

“A bunch of absolute cowards,” Topuria wrote on X. “Honor, respect, and humility aren’t words you preach. They’re values you live by. And you’ve shown none of them.”

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Topuria also claimed that Usman Nurmagomedov had been detained alongside the men who were with him. Neither the Abu Dhabi authorities nor RAF organizers have publicly confirmed any arrests.

A dolly in Topuria’s hands

On Instagram, McGregor pushed the story one step further. He shared an edited version of the notorious UFC 223 image, the dolly throw at the Barclays Center, with Topuria’s face pasted onto his own body.

The implication did not need a caption. The fighter who had released the attack footage was being invited to recreate McGregor’s bus assault in reverse, against the same family.

Dvalishvili had been scheduled to face Marlon Moraes at RAF Abu Dhabi on Saturday. Umar Nurmagomedov, Usman’s cousin, is also on the card against Urijah Faber, and Khamzat Chimaev is set to compete. Dvalishvili’s participation is in doubt after the injuries he sustained in the lobby.

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