Tag: Khabib Nurmagomedov

‘Tired’ Khabib Nurmagomedov Hopes He Can Retire From Coaching Soon Ahead Of UFC 311 Assignments

Former UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov returned to cornering fighters last year following a brief break, but it seems he’s already wanting to give up coaching in its entirety. Khabib is set for a busy week in Los Angeles, where two of his team’s most prominent fighters will take up headline spots for the UFC […]

Former UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov returned to cornering fighters last year following a brief break, but it seems he’s already wanting to give up coaching in its entirety.

Khabib is set for a busy week in Los Angeles, where two of his team’s most prominent fighters will take up headline spots for the UFC 311 pay-per-view on Jan. 18.

Before 155-pound kingpin Islam Makhachev defends his crown in the main event, “The Eagle’s” cousin, Umar Nurmagomedov, will challenge for Merab Dvalishvili’s bantamweight throne in the co-headliner.

The retired legend will be cageside calling the shots for both — a position he took up following his retirement from active competition in 2020. But it doesn’t seem like he plans on staying there longer than necessary.

During a recent interview uploaded to ESPN MMA’s YouTube channel, Khabib discussed how long he plans to be in the coaching game for, revealing that he doesn’t intend on occupying the role beyond the careers of his current crop of fighters.

“When the guys finish, I’m going to finish,” Khabib said. “I hope it’s going to be very fast, I’m tired of all this. We’ve been on top of this game for like, seven, eight years, since I became a champion. All these guys were with me, they were with my father when I was starting.

“There are still six, eight (fighters competing) at a very high level. When they finish, I will finish too,” Khabib added.

The immediate lead-up to UFC 311 didn’t get off to the smoothest of starts for Khabib, who was the subject of a viral video that showed him being removed from a plane ahead of a flight from Los Vegas to California this past weekend.

While “The Eagle” eventually boarded a different flight and made his way to the state, the fallout from the incident has continued this week, with Frontier Airlines most recently releasing a statement in defense of the flight attendant who had the exchange with the former UFC fighter.

Frontier Airlines Clarifies Circumstances Surrounding Khabib Nurmagomedov’s Removal from Plane

Frontier Airlines Clarifies Circumstances Surrounding Khabib Nurmagomedov's Removal from PlaneFrontier Airlines has issued a statement after a video of UFC icon Khabib Nurmagomedov being removed from a recent…

Frontier Airlines Clarifies Circumstances Surrounding Khabib Nurmagomedov's Removal from Plane

Frontier Airlines has issued a statement after a video of UFC icon Khabib Nurmagomedov being removed from a recent flight went viral.

On Saturday, Nurmagomedov was scheduled to travel from Las Vegas to California where Saturday’s UFC pay-per-view event is scheduled to be held. However, his flight plans were held up after an airline attendant forced him off the plane. According to reports, Nurmagomedov was sitting in an emergency exit row and was repeatedly asked if he would be able and willing to assist in the event of an emergency.

After a brief verbal fracas, Nurmagomedov was removed from the plane, but not before another passenger caught some of the incident on video. The clip quickly went viral, prompting fight fans on social media to lambaste the airline.

Nurmagomedov has since spoken out about the incident, suggesting that his removal from the flight may have been related to his race or nationality.

according to Frontier, Nurmagomedov was in ‘Non-Compliance with FAA requirements’

Frontier Airlines released a statement to MMA Fighting, explaining their side of the story and that deboarding the legendary lightweight was well within their legal purview.

“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…

“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.”

That explanation wasn’t good enough for the Council on American-Islamic Relations who demanded there be an investigation into the incident.

“We call on Frontier and the U.S. Department of Transportation to swiftly and transparently investigate this incident to determine exactly what happened on this flight and why athlete and Muslim advocate Khabib Nurmagomedov was treated this way and whether religious or racial profiling played a role in his treatment,” CAIR National Executive Director Nihad Awad said in a statement.

“Given how often incidents of racial and religious profiling occur on airlines, especially against travelers who are noticeably Muslim, [Frontier Airlines] should also publicly release the results of its investigation and take appropriate action to address any misconduct or mistakes by its staff.”

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Frontier Airlines Releases Statement Defending Flight Attendant Who Kicked Khabib Nurmagomedov Off Plane

Frontier Airlines is standing by its flight attendant who removed Khabib Nurmagomedov from a plane. On Sunday, a now-viral clip captured “The Eagle” in a tense exchange with a flight attendant aboard a Las Vegas to San Francisco flight. The footage showed Nurmagomedov being asked to switch seats, allegedly due to concerns about his ability […]

Frontier Airlines is standing by its flight attendant who removed Khabib Nurmagomedov from a plane.

On Sunday, a now-viral clip captured “The Eagle” in a tense exchange with a flight attendant aboard a Las Vegas to San Francisco flight. The footage showed Nurmagomedov being asked to switch seats, allegedly due to concerns about his ability to communicate in English during a potential emergency.

Despite the request, he resolutely refused to comply, prompting the flight attendant to suggest that a supervisor could intervene and have him escorted off the plane. Ultimately, the UFC Hall of Famer chose to deboard the aircraft voluntarily.

Initially, reports suggested the flight was with Alaska Airlines, but Nurmagomedov took to social media to clarify that it was operated by Frontier Airlines. The undefeated Dagestani expressed that, while he believed he handled the conversation with respect, the flight attendant was “very rude.”

He also raised concerns about whether the incident was influenced by “racial” prejudice.

Frontier Airlines has now issued a statement to MMA Fighting, addressing the incident involving Nurmagomedov and the exit row situation.

The airline categorically rejected claims that the former UFC lightweight champion was targeted because of his ethnicity. Instead, they cited concerns over his alleged English proficiency, which aligns with Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) regulations requiring passengers in exit rows to be fluent in English on U.S. departures.

Below is the full statement:

“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.”

“The Eagle” will corner his teammates, Islam Makhachev and Umar Nurmagomedov, in their respective title bouts at UFC 311 this weekend at the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles.

Makhachev will defend his Lightweight crown against Arman Tsarukyan in the main event, while Umar will challenge Merab Dvalishvili for the Bantamweight championship in the co-main event.

UFC 311 Headliner Islam Makhachev Reveals Longtime Khabib Rival As His Dream Fight

Islam Makhachev is set to defend his lightweight title at UFC 311 in a fight that fans have wanted to see for a long time. Considering their first encounter back in 2019, many have believed for a while now that a rematch with Arman Tsarukyan will be the toughest test for the pound-for-pound number one. […]

Islam Makhachev is set to defend his lightweight title at UFC 311 in a fight that fans have wanted to see for a long time. Considering their first encounter back in 2019, many have believed for a while now that a rematch with Arman Tsarukyan will be the toughest test for the pound-for-pound number one.

Beating Tsarukyan will see Makhachev break the record for consecutive lightweight title defenses at four, passing the streak of his training partner and coach, Khabib Nurmagomedov. A win for the defending champion on Saturday night in Los Angeles also means that as of right now, there isn’t a clear next step for him.

Makhachev recently spent some time with streamer Adin Ross where he was asked if there is a dream fight that is out there for him. Whilst there isn’t anything that comes to mind right now, the 155-pound titleholder did look back on a contest that he wanted to pursue several years ago.

At 29-0, Nurmagomedov was totally dominant but if there’s one opponent that got away, it is Tony Ferguson. The matchup might be the best example of the fight that the fans wanted the most that never happened despite the fact that it was booked multiple times.

Makhachev said that at the time when his close friend was at the top of the lightweight division, he also wanted to face off with “El Cucuy” in order to bring that win back for his team.

“Not like many years ago but my brother, Khabib, was supposed to fight with Tony Ferguson like five times, they both have injuries or fight is cancelled five times and my dream to fight this guy in that moment because I always with Khabib. When Khabib have injury, I ask my manager, I say ‘Hey, can I step in to fight with Tony,’ and you know, Tony in that moment is like very good athlete, very good fighter. He have like almost more than 10-fight win streak in the UFC and this is one of the fights which I want like 3-4 years ago but not right now because he has 8-fight lose streak. I wish him the best but couple years ago, he’s one of the high-level fighters from our division.”

Michael Chandler Backs Khabib Nurmagomedov After Viral Plane Removal: ‘If You’re Going To Kick Our GOAT Off…’

UFC 311 is set to be a huge week for Khabib Nurmagomedov but before he corners back-to-back title fights on Saturday night, he has had some complications to get through on his way to Los Angeles. A video on social media showed “The Eagle” being asked to either move seats or leave the plane following […]

UFC 311 is set to be a huge week for Khabib Nurmagomedov but before he corners back-to-back title fights on Saturday night, he has had some complications to get through on his way to Los Angeles. A video on social media showed “The Eagle” being asked to either move seats or leave the plane following a conversation with a flight atendant.

This altercation stemmed from the fact that the former UFC lightweight champion was seating on the emergency exit row which requires the passengers to listen, understand and potentially participate in the safety procedures regarding the emergency door. Nurmagomedov did not see what the issue was but there seemed to be some caution regarding his understanding of English.

Nurmagomedov can even be heard saying in the video that he was asked ahead of time whether he knows English and he does so it wouldn’t be an issue. A fellow mixed martial artist has stuck up for the fighter turned coach on social media by outlining where some airlines may have double standards.

Michael Chandler made the argument that if there is an issue about Khabib sitting in the emergency row due to his English, why is that not the same for people who may not be physically or mentally dependable in that same situation. “Iron” Mike even referred to the retired athlete as the greatest of all time in his statement on the matter.

“If you’re going to kick our GOAT off the plane for a little accent, please start making passengers do a physical and mental fitness aptitude test before you let them sit in the exit row after uttering a one word, one syllable, ‘yes.’ Because I’ve seen some slugs in the exit row on flights. @TeamKhabib“

Khabib Nurmagomedov Issues Statement After Being Kicked Off Flight Ahead Of UFC 311: ‘Did My Best To Stay Calm…’

Former UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov has spoken publicly after footage of his removal from a flight before takeoff went viral this weekend. Khabib will be in Los Angeles next week as two of his team’s star fighters compete with gold on the line at the UFC 311 pay-per-view. Inside the Intuit Dome, Islam Makhachev […]

Former UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov has spoken publicly after footage of his removal from a flight before takeoff went viral this weekend.

Khabib will be in Los Angeles next week as two of his team’s star fighters compete with gold on the line at the UFC 311 pay-per-view. Inside the Intuit Dome, Islam Makhachev will headline in defense of his lightweight crown, while Umar Nurmagomedov will first challenge for the bantamweight gold.

But while attention will soon be on their showdowns with Arman Tsarukyan and Merab Dvalishvili, respectively, the biggest talking point a day out from UFC 311 fight week has surrounded their coach.

A video emerged on Sunday showing Khabib being removed from a plane due to fly from Las Vegas to LA. Audio from the incident appeared to reveal a dispute with a flight attendant over the Dagestani’s seat on the emergency exit row.

After the video went viral and drew out plenty of reactions from the MMA community online, Khabib took to Instagram to give his side of the story and clarify which airline he was attempting to fly with.

“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. What was the base for that, racial, national or other one, I’m not sure.

“But after 2 minutes of conversation, she called security and I was deplaned from this aircraft, after 1,5 hour I boarded another airline one 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.”

It remains to be seen what will come of the incident, which has spread across the Internet and resulted in some of the former UFC champion’s fans calling for a boycott of the airline in question.

“The Eagle” himself, meanwhile, will no doubt be looking to keep his focus on the task at hand next week, as he gears up for two crucial contests for his team at the UFC 311 PPV on Jan. 18.