Merab Dvalishvili and Dennis Buzukja were involved in an altercation with a fan at UFC 310, which escalated into a physical confrontation, reportedly initiated by the fan, who is said to be an associate of Umar Nurmagomedov.
Merab Dvalishvili made headlines last weekend, but it was his teammate Dennis Buzukja who got caught on tape mixing it up with a fan. The duo was at UFC 310 in Vegas to corner Aljamain Sterling, who lost to Movsar Evloev. As the team headed backstage, things got heated between a fan and Dvalishvili, leading to Buzukja trading punches.
Dvalishvili later shared a video suggesting the fan was linked to Umar Nurmagomedov, his upcoming opponent for the bantamweight title. On Sterling’s podcast, he and Buzukja recapped the incident. “Apparently this guy is a representative of Kazakhstan,” Sterling noted. “He was provoking Merab on the way in and out.”
In the viral video, Dvalishvili is seen being pulled away by security, leaving much to speculation about what actually happened. Another clip showed the fan grabbing Dvalishvili’s arm first. Buzukja mentioned that the fan antagonized them during their walkout and approached them again as they exited.
“I don’t know if he touched Merab initially,” Buzukja recalled, “but Merab tapped his shoulder and flipped him off. The guy did the same back.” As they left post-fight, the fan crossed through the crowd and grabbed Merab’s arm again, speaking in Russian or something similar. Things escalated quickly from there.
The altercation saw both Buzukja and the fan landing clean punches before security stepped in. Buzukja didn’t plan for it to go down like that and felt relieved it didn’t escalate further. “I tried to deescalate,” he said. “But then he cracked me first with a left hook.”
It remains unclear if any penalties will be handed down by UFC or Nevada State Athletic Commission. Sterling expressed confusion over the incident, especially if the fan was indeed associated with Nurmagomedov’s team. “They’re big on respect,” he mused. “Why have your guys act like assh*les?”
Sterling continued, “You’re being a complete assh*le. What are you doing? It’s weird.” His frustration was palpable, reflecting on how actions speak louder than words when it comes to respect—or lack thereof—in MMA circles.