Former UFC lightweight champion, Khabib Nurmagomedov, was kicked off his flight to Los Angeles for being uncooperative, according to a new statement from Frontier Airlines, not because “The Eagle” fit any kind of pre-existing profile.
Video of Nurmagomedov being removed from the aircraft was making the rounds on social media over the weekend following a spat with airline officials. Khabib claims he was being mistreated, but Frontier says it was working strictly by the book.
MMA Fighting has the release:
“On Jan. 11, 2025, 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. The flight attendant informed Mr. Nurmagomedov that he could be moved to a different upgraded seat or exit the plane.
“Videos circulating on social media platforms do not capture this interaction, and instead show a subsequent interaction after a gate agent entered the plane and reiterated the option to be reseated. As a result of the customer’s initial unresponsiveness and repeated declinations of a seat change, he was asked to deplane per airline and FAA policy. The decision to deplane the customer was in no way related to his ethnicity and we have refunded him and his traveling companions for their flights.”
Exit row seating carries its own set of rules.
Nurmagomedov, 36, was en route to Los Angeles to help coach reigning lightweight champion Islam Makhachev, who defends his 155-pound title in a rematch against top-seeded division contender, Arman Tsarukyan, atop the UFC 311 pay-per-view (PPV) card on Sat. night (Jan. 18) at Intuit Dome.
“The Eagle” was able to board a later flight and arrived in “The City of Angels” without incident.