Merab Dvalishvili slapped TF out of Umar
Nurmagomedov's friend 😳 pic.twitter.com/SZsqDOBM9y

— Happy Punch (@HappyPunch)
July 11, 2026

Ultimate Fighting Championship lightweight Arman
Tsarukyan has accused Merab
Dvalishvili of delivering a sucker-punch to a man he says is

Ultimate Fighting Championship bantamweight contender Umar
Nurmagomedov's friend.

Ultimate Fighting Championship lightweight Arman
Tsarukyan believes it was wrong of Merab
Dvalishvili to strike a man he says is Umar
Nurmagomedov's friend.

Dvalishvili recently got into a scuffle ahead of his wrestling win
over Henry
Cejudo at RAF Georgia. He was asked about a potential wrestling
match against Nurmagomedov during the pre-fight press conference.
“The Machine†dismissed the idea, calling the Dagestani
“spoiled.â€

A friend of Nurmagomedov was a part of the contingent of
Abdulrashid Sadulaev, who lost to Kyle Snyder at RAF Georgia.
Nurmagomedov's friend allegedly confronted Dvalishvili about his
comments after the pre-fight presser. The former bantamweight
champion then struck him, leading to an all-out brawl.

Tsarukyan didn't like Dvalishvili's actions. He revealed that
Nurmagomedov's friend was only asking Dvalishvili not to be
disrespectful towards the Dagestani star. “Ahalkalakets†claims
Dvalishvili launched the sucker punch while they were still
talking.

Arman Tsarukyan slams Merab Dvalishvili, details what happened
in the aftermath

Tsarukyan believes Dvalishvili could have settled the incident by
having a conversation instead of throwing hands. The UFC
lightweight also revealed that Dvalishvili subsequently squashed
his beef with the Dagestani squad.

“The scuffle began after Merab sucker-punched the guy, who was
actually trying to say, ‘Don't talk bad about our brother while we
are here.' And Merab punched him while he was talking,†Tsarukyan
told Red Corner MMA. “From my point of view, it was wrong. They
just needed to talk and settle things down. Then, when they got
locked in that room, they started fighting one-on-one. They
squashed it and shook hands.â€

Nurmagomedov (20-1) also slammed Dvalishvili (21-5) for hitting his
friend. Nurmagomedov also questions whether Dvalishvili would have
reacted the same way if there had been no crowd to break the
fight.

“On the Caucasus, a man is defined by honor, dignity, and
hospitality,†Nurmagomedov wrote on X. “My friend only asked why
you were talking behind someone's back. I don't need to insult you
to feel like a man. Who you really are is shown when there's no
crowd and no one to step in.â€

Arman
Tsarukyan shares his perspective on the scuffle between
Merab
Dvalishvili and members of Abdulrashid Sadulaev's team
following the RAF press conference on Friday.

“The scuffle began after Merab sucker-punched the guy, who was
actually trying to say, ‘Don't talk bad about… pic.twitter.com/jNV3iKwC1B

— Red Corner MMA (@RedCorner_MMA)
July 11, 2026

On the Caucasus, a man is defined by honor,
dignity, and hospitality.
My friend only asked why you were talking behind someone's
back.
I don't need to insult you to feel like a man. Who you really are
is shown when there's no crowd and no one to step in. pic.twitter.com/Oc5AT9U4sN

— Umar
Nurmagomedov (@UNmgdv)
July 10, 2026

Gable
Steveson blasted through his first potential roadblock in the

Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight division and did so
while sustaining minimal damage.

The five-time NCAA All-American wrestler and 2020 Olympic gold
medalist excelled in his long-awaited promotional debut, as he
swept aside Elisha
Ellison with punches and knees in the first round of their
featured
UFC 329 prelim on Saturday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

Ellison (5-3, 0-2 UFC) bowed out 2:31 into Round
1.

Steveson (4-0, 1-0 UFC) bypassed a feeling-out process in favor of
a tit-for-tat firefight. He tore into Ellison with front kicks to
the body and power punches upstairs, all while walking through the
return fire. Steveson closed the distance midway through the
opening stanza and smashed his fading adversary with close-range
punches and knee strikes. Ellison ultimately collapsed under all
the punishment.

Meanwhile, “The Ultimate Fighter: The Smashes†winner Robert
Whittaker moved up to 205 pounds and stopped former Fight
Nights Global champion Nikita
Krylov with punches in the third round of their light
heavyweight spat.
Krlyov (31-12, 12-10 UFC) clocked out 61 seconds into Round
3.

Whittaker (27-9, 18-7 UFC) crowded the Ukrainian with punches, his
success in standup exchanges keyed by a potent jab. Krylov's pace
slowed noticeably in the second round and further diminished in the
third. Whittaker capitalized and clipped the Raty Team product with
a pair of wicked right hands, the second of which had his opponent
checking his jaw, turning away from contact and looking for a way
out.

The 35-year-old Whittaker has now posted wins in three UFC weight
classes.

Further down the undercard, Metro Fight Club's Adrian
Yanez wiped out Cody
Garbrandt with punches in the first round of their bantamweight
scrap.
Garbrandt (15-8, 10-8 UFC) succumbed to blows 2:47 into Round
1, falling for the third time in four outings.

Yanez (18-6-1, 7-3-1 UFC) withstood a flurry from the former
champion at the start and eventually clipped him with a pair of
counter right hooks. Garbrandt wobbled where he stood and could not
weather the avalanche of punched that followed. Hooks from both
hands tipped the Yanez spear and left his dazed-and-confused
counterpart wrecked at the base of the cage.

The victory was Yanez's first in more than two years.

Not to be outshined, Next Generation MMA standout Luke Riley
kept his perfect professional record intact, as he took care of
Kai
Kamaka III with punches and knees in the first round of their
featherweight battle.
Riley (14-0, 3-0 UFC) sealed the deal 3:03 into Round
1.

Kamaka (18-8-1, 2-3-1 UFC) enjoyed significant success with kicks
to the Englishman's lower lead leg and a few left hooks, but he
lacked the firepower necessary to go shot for shot with his
27-year-old opponent. Riley sat him down with a clean right,
allowed him to stand and then swarmed with knees and punches for
the finish.

The loss snapped a two-fight winning streak for Kamaka.

Elsewhere, fast-rising Nova Uniao prospect Damian
Pinas punched out Cesar
Almeida in the first round of their middleweight affair.

Almeida (7-3, 3-3 UFC) met his end 4:44 into Round 1,
as the Matheus Naccahce protégé suffered his second consecutive
setback.

Pinas (10-1, 2-0 UFC) exchanged high-velocity kicks and punches to
all levels with the experienced Brazilian kickboxer. Late in the
first round, the Aruban sent a devastating right cross crashing
through Almeida's defenses. The Lotus MMA product hit the deck in a
dazed state and absorbed one standing-to-ground hammerfist from
Pinas before referee Chris Tognoni waved it off.

The 24-year-old Pinas has won six fights in a row, five of them via
stoppage.

Deeper into the prelims, Ryan Gandra
dispatched fellow Dana White's Contender Series graduate Zachary
Reese with punches in the first round of their middleweight
tilt. Gandra (10-1, 2-0 UFC) brought it to a close 1:15 into Round
1, as he nailed down the seventh first-round finish of his
career.

Reese (10-4, 4-4 UFC) landed a few kicks to the body and lead leg
but lowered his shields at the wrong time.
Gandra floored him with a counter left hook and proceeded to slam
the door with a series of follow-up punches that prompted referee
Mike Beltran to intervene.

Gandra, 31, now finds himself on a nine-fight winning streak.

Finally, Lobo Gym export Alessandro
Costa filled in as a late-notice replacement for Ode
Osbourne and put away Cody Durden
with a rear-naked choke in the second round of their flyweight
encounter.
Durden (18-11-1, 7-9-1 UFC) conceded defeat 2:19 into Round
2, losing for the fifth time in six appearances.

Costa (17-5, 5-3 UFC) connected with the more consequential blows
throughout a competitive first round, then waited for an opening to
present itself. Durden slipped while throwing a kick and wound up
pinned to the mat against a world-class Brazilian jiu-jitsu black
belt early in the middle stanza. Costa flowed from side control to
the back, secured his position with a body triangle and
transitioned from a neck crank to the fight-ending choke.

The 30-year-old Costa has rattled off three straight victories.

In other action, Farid
Basharat (16-0, 7-0 UFC) laid claim to a unanimous decision
over John Garza
(6-2, 0-1 UFC) in their three-round bantamweight pairing, as he
earned 30-27, 30-27 and 29-28 marks from the cageside judges; and
Cong
Wang (10-1, 5-1 UFC) outstruck Tracy
Cortez (12-4, 6-3 UFC) to a unanimous decision—29-27, 29-27,
29-27—in their three-round women's flyweight confrontation.

Gable Steveson reflected on his successful Octagon debut at UFC
329. | 📷: Getty/UFC

---

Ultimate Fighting Championship newcomer Gable
Steveson wanted Elisha
Ellison to feel “pressure†and “pain†at
UFC 329 in Las Vegas.

The U.S. Olympic gold medalist wrestler finished the fight against
Ellison via TKO at the 2:31 mark of their heavyweight clash at UFC
329. Following his debut Octagon win, Steveson discussed his
intentions going into the bout.

Gable Steveson's UFC debut ends with first-round TKO win over
Elisha Ellison

Steveson went into the contest as one of the biggest betting
favorites in UFC history. His performance reflected as much, as he
put away Ellison in the opening round. He out-landed his opponent
41-14 in total strikes.

“See, I wanted Elisha Ellison to feel that pressure; I wanted him
to feel pain. I wanted to go out there and make him quit,†Steveson
said after his win. “And I knew when Elisha Ellison got hit hard,
he would fall down. And he did fall down.â€

Steveson is already one of the most decorated wrestlers in U.S.
history, with two NCAA Division I titles in addition to his gold
medal at the Tokyo Olympics. All four of his MMA victories have
come through first-round knockout.

“When Gable
Steveson walks out, it’s a show.â€

Gable
Steveson reflects about his UFC debut and what fans can expect
from him moving froward. #UFC329

Complete Prelim Results âž¡ï¸ https://t.co/zJYzZphBW3 pic.twitter.com/ujIbPGwnOH

— UFC News (@UFCNews)
July 12, 2026