The possible punishment Usman Nurmagomedov now faces after attacking Merab Dvalishvili in a hotel lobby in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday night has emerged, with UFC icon Khabib's cousin appearing to land himself in hot water with more than just the local police.

Footage of the clash 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 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...."

While Ilia Topuria and Nina Drama have also reacted - and Islam Makhachev went rogue and chose to defend the Dagestani's actions - it appears the matter is far more serious than just some out-of-ring drama.

Usman Nurmagomedov Now Faces Huge Punishment

The footage seemingly showed Usman walk behind the former UFC bantamweight king, who was set to compete in an RAF wrestling match this weekend, before slapping him in the face. Chaos ensued as other men, who seemed to be part of Usman’s entourage, also attacked Dvalishvili. Watch the crazy scenes below:

Dvalishvili, who appeared to be struck several times by Usman, fought off multiple attackers before his friend, Saba Lazishvili, jumped in. But the fights couldn't be stopped before himself and his friends were left bloodied and bruised.

Usman, who is regarded by many as the best fighter outside of the UFC, was detained by Abu Dhabi police for his alleged involvement in the sickening incident. According to The Sun, he could spend up to one year behind bars for violating UAE Federal Law No. 31 if he's found guilty of the assault.

The Incident Could Block his UFC Opportunity Too

The incident could also scupper his proposed move to the UFC, which has long seemed inevitable. The fighter is no stranger to controversy inside the UFC octagon, despite not being signed to the promotion.

The 28-year-old stormed the octagon at UFC 302 in June 2024 to celebrate with Makhachev after his submission victory over Dustin Poirier and was escorted out of the arena by security. He did so again in August after seeing his brother Umar get brutally KO’d by Song Yadong.

While there is no doubt that Dana White has been keeping close tabs on his talent inside the MMA circle, his penchant for making headlines over the wrong things could damage his chances of being handed the spotlight.