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Nov 12, 2026, 7:50 AM GMT
Hal is an experienced freelance sports journalist at GiveMeSport, having previously produced content for websites such as Goal, football.london, HertsLive, 90min, The Set Pieces and many others.
Hal picked up his MA in Sports Journalism and NCTJ qualification from St Mary's University Twickenham, Hal has since been part of Valnet since late 2021.
He started as a freelance football writer for This Is Futbol and carried that on over to FootballFanCast before becoming their social media editor. He now works as an editor for GiveMeSport, predominantly focusing on Premier League, Champions League, and English football.
He also helps GiveMeSport cover other major sports such as MMA, boxing, darts, tennis, and golf. Key events like the summer and winter Olympics are also highlights when they appear on the sporting calendar.
Hal is an Arsenal and Three Lions fan, but keeps an eye on the All Blacks, his favourite rugby team, having grown up in New Zealand.
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Islam Makhachev, one of the biggest names in UFC, has now offered his take on the Usman Nurmagomedov attack on Merab Dvalishvili.
Footage of the clash in a hotel lobby went viral this week after Dvalishvili and a friend were seemingly jumped by Nurmagomedov and a number of his cohorts. The Georgian's upcoming RAF Abu Dhabi fight against Marlon Moraes this Saturday now looks at risk, with Dvalishvili's injuries looking quite serious.
A number of big names have condemned the attack, with Sean Strickland commenting: "Usman Nurmagomedov is the definition of a b****.. These guys all run around pretending to be hard but they all act like f****** dogs waiting to attack you when you're not looking...."
Ilia Topuria also slammed the incident: "And these are the same people who dare to preach about humility and respect? What a disgrace. A bunch of absolute cowards."
However, Makhachev has now given more insight into why the attack happened.
The current UFC Lightweight Champion took to social media to defend Nurmagomedov, claiming that he was provoked by Dvalishvili, who insulted his mother. Makhachev explained:
“To those who are now condemning Usman and the guys and insulting them: why were you silent when Merab hit a Dagestani [Akhmed Gadjimagomedov] wrestler for no reason and insulted his honor? The man approached him to talk with no ill intent.
"What happened today was started by Merab in his own homeland when he took it upon himself to hit a guest and insult his mother.”
The incident with a Dagestani wrestler references a clash in July with Akhmed Gadjimagomedov, in which Dvalishvili reportedly slapped the 36-year-old Russian at an RAF event.
It appears as though police have now got involved in the matter, which is not entirely surprising, seeing as the incident took place in a hotel lobby. MMA journalist Ariel Helwani reported that 'everyone involved' in the 'altercation' was actually taken to a police station for questioning:
"The latest I'm hearing is that everyone involved in the Merab Dvalishvili/Usman Nurmagomedov altercation, including Merab and his friend, are at the police station for questioning.
"My understanding is that Merab isn't the one pressing charges, but the incident happened in public and was caught on camera so everyone was brought in."
Adding to this, Topuria said: "Usman has reportedly been detained, along with the cowards who were with him."
Dvalishvili and Nurmagomedov previously fought at UFC 311 in January 2025, when the Georgian was able to successfully defend his bantamweight title. This latest incident isn't the first time they've clashed, as they traded angry jibes in July.
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