UFC Champion Khabib Nurmagomedov Removed From Frontier Airlines Flight [Video]

Former UFC champion, Khabib Nurmagomedov was removed from a Frontier Airlines flight after refusing to move from his seat in the emergency exit row.

The 36-year-old Russian fighter had an argument with a flight attendant before the plane, which was flying from Las Vegas to Los Angeles, took off.

A video shared widely on social media shows the moment Khabib Nurmagomedov is told he either needs to move to another seat or leave the flight and rebook.

In the video, Khabib asked why he needed to change seats, and the attendant explained that they were uncomfortable with him sitting in the exit row.

She said, “Because they [the flight attendants] are not comfortable with you sitting in the emergency exit row,” and Khabib responded, “It’s not fair.”

The attendant warned Khabib again, and when he insisted on staying in his seat, another staff member asked him to leave the plane. Khabib calmly exits the aircraft.

Khabib, known for his undefeated MMA career, including a win over Conor McGregor in 2018, later posted on social media to share his side of the story.

The UFC Champion said the flight attendant was rude from the start, even though he understood English and was willing to cooperate.

He said, “[The lady who asked me] 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 expressed uncertainty about the reasons behind the incident, speculating it could have been racial or national.

Khabib said he remained calm and respectful, but the crew could have handled the situation better.

“But after two minutes of conversation, she called security and I was deplaned from this aircraft, [and later] I boarded another airline and left to 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,” he added.

In response to Khabib’s post, Frontier Airlines acknowledged the incident and said it was under investigation.

The airline later clarified that Khabib had been asked multiple times to confirm whether he could assist in an emergency due to his seat in the exit row, but he did not respond. Because of this, he was not in compliance with FAA regulations, and after refusing to change seats, he was asked to leave the plane.

The airline emphasized that the decision to remove Khabib was not related to his ethnicity, and they refunded Khabib and his travel companions for their flights.

In a further statement to BBC Sport, the airline said: “As flight 4401 from Las Vegas to San Francisco was preparing for departure, a flight attendant initiated the customary briefing for exit row passengers.

“Customer Khabib Nurmagomedov, who was seated in an exit row, was asked multiple times if he was willing and able to assist in the event of an emergency.

“According to the flight attendant, Mr Nurmagomedov did not respond, despite repeated attempts, which placed him in non-compliance with FAA requirements. As a result, he was asked to move to a different upgraded seat which he refused to do.

“Therefore, in accordance with airline and FAA policy, he was asked to deplane. The decision to deplane the customer was in no way related to his ethnicity and we have refunded him and his travelling companions for their flights.”

Frontier Airlines said it “will follow up with them directly”.

Watch the video below:

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