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Former UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov was removed from a Frontier Airlines flight at Las Vegas' Harry Reid International Airport following a dispute with airline staff regarding his seating. A video of the incident, which the fighter described as "unfair," has gone viral on social media.
In a post on X (formerly Twitter) on Monday, Mr Nurmagomedov provided his account of the incident.
"First of all, I need to clarify that it was @FlyFrontier not AlaskaAir. Lady who comes to me with questions was very rude from the very beginning, even though I speak very decent English and can understand everything and agreed to assist, she still insists on removing me from my seat," he posted on X.
First of all, I need to clarify that it was @FlyFrontier not AlaskaAir.
Lady who comes to me with questions was very rude from the very beginning, even though I speak very decent English and can understand everything and agreed to assist, she still insists on removing me from my…
— khabib nurmagomedov (@TeamKhabib) January 12, 2025
The conflict arose as Mr Nurmagomedov, who was seated in an exit row, was approached by a flight attendant questioning his ability to assist other passengers in an emergency. This is a standard requirement for passengers occupying seats in the exit row. However, Mr Nurmagomedov stated that despite his willingness to comply, he was treated rudely from the outset.
UFC World Champion #khabibnurmagomedov removed from @FlyFrontier airplane because someone reported that she is not comfortable he is sitting next to the emergency exit. The only reason that comes to the mind that she knows he is Pro-#Palestine and Anti-#Israel.
Really they should… pic.twitter.com/wDBQuV0mkB
— Shaheen (@shaheena45) January 13, 2025
In a video recorded by a fellow passenger, a flight attendant can be heard saying, "We cannot allow you to sit in the exit row... I am not going to do this back and forth. I'll go call a supervisor. You can either take a different seat or we can go ahead and escort you off the plane."
The 36-year-old fighter responded, saying, "It's not fair," and explained that he had fully complied with the onboarding process. "When I was in check-in, they asked me, do I know English... and I said yes. Then why you guys do this?"
Despite his protests, the airline staff insisted on either moving him to another seat or removing him from the flight. After a brief exchange, security was called, and Mr Nurmagomedov was escorted off the aircraft.
"After two minutes of conversation, she called security, and I was deplaned from this aircraft. After 1.5 hours, I boarded another airline and left for my destination. I did my best to stay calm and respectful as you can see on the video. But those crew members could do better next time and just be nice with clients," Mr Nurmagomedov added.
Mr Nurmagomedov, one of the greatest fighters in UFC history, retired from mixed martial arts with an undefeated record of 29-0. He was reportedly travelling to California to support his teammates ahead of UFC 311. Scheduled to take place in Los Angeles, the event features two title fights involving his protege Islam Makhachev, who will defend his lightweight title against Arman Tsarukyan, and Umar Nurmagomedov, who is set to challenge Merab Dvalishvili for the bantamweight championship.
Frontier Airlines has not issued a public statement regarding the incident.