Former Russian mixed martial arts star Khabib Nurmagomedov was removed from a Frontier Airlines flight following a dispute with crew.
The UFC lightweight champion, who retired with a perfect 29-0 record, wrote in an X post on Monday that he resorted to flying with another airline after being deplaned.
In a video widely circulated online, Nurmagomedov is seen sitting in the cabin’s emergency exit row and talking to a crew member.
The female crew member can be heard in the video explaining to him that flight attendants were “not comfortable” with him sitting in the exit row. She can then be heard saying he would have to either switch his seat or he would need to get off the plane.
“It’s off of their [the flight attendants] judgment,” the staff member can be heard saying.
“It’s not fair,” Nurmagomedov said, per the video, before choosing to be escorted off the plane.
Initial reports suggested that the incident took place on an Alaska Airlines flight, but Nurmagomedov later clarified on X that it occurred on a Frontier plane.
“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 said in an X post.
“What was the base for that, racial, national or other one, I’m not sure,” Nurmagomedov added.
In the video circulated online, the staff member can be heard saying that the crew’s request is “not about the language” after Nurmagomedov says he speaks English.
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 36-year-old fighter said that after two minutes of conversation, the airline staff member called security, and he was “deplaned” from the aircraft.
After an hour and 30 minutes, Nurmagomedov, nicknamed “The Eagle,” said he boarded a different flight and flew to his destination.
Various media reports suggest the Frontier flight was from Las Vegas to Los Angeles.
He wrote that he did his best to “stay calm and respectful,” adding, “but those crew members could do better next time and just be nice with clients.”
“We are aware of the incident and are investigating,” Frontier said in a reply to Nurmagomedov’s post.
Frontier Airlines did not immediately respond to Business Insider’s request for comment.
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