UFC legend Khabib Nurmagomedov was reportedly removed from a flight after an apparent disagreement over his seat.
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A video circulating on social media early Sunday morning, Jan. 12, appeared to show 36-year-old Hall of Famer in a disagreement with a Frontier Airlines staff member. The dispute arose after she raised concerns about his seating in an exit row on a flight from Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas to Los Angeles.
In the viral TikTok video, reportedly filmed by a fellow passenger, Nurmagomedov—who hails from Russia—was heard assuring a flight attendant that he understands English and can assist in an emergency. However, he explained that he was simply “trying to understand” the staff member’s explanation.
“What we’re going to do is we’re either going to have you switch your seat because my flight attendants are not allowing you to sit in the exit row, or you’re going to have to get off this plane and then we’ll have to rebook you,” the staffer explained in the footage.
“It’s not fair,” Nurmagomedov pleaded.
The two further discuss his English skills. Nurmagomedov mentions that when he checked in, airport staff asked if he spoke English, and he replied, “Yes.”
“We cannot allow you to sit in the exit row,” the flight staffer insisted. “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.”
Khabib Nurmagomedov and His Entourage Disembark
According to Al Jazeera, airline staff informed Nurmagomedov that he would be rebooked on another flight after being asked to leave the plane. He was later seen walking down the aisle accompanied by another airline employee.
The report also stated that his travel companions were similarly asked to disembark. The former lightweight UFC champion was reportedly heading to California for the UFC 311 event on Jan. 18 in Inglewood.
The UFC Champ is Still Confused After Being Escorted Off Plane
Meanwhile, Nurmagomedov shared on X that he was unsure why Frontier staff asked him to leave his seat.
“Lady who [came] 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 wrote. “What was the base for that, racial, national, or other one, I’m not sure.”
“But after two minutes of conversation, she called security. I was deplaned from this aircraft, after 1.5 hours I boarded another airline … and left to my destination,” Nurmagomedov added. “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.”
Per Trip Savvy, “a passenger who does not speak any of the languages used by the crew on board” may not sit in the emergency exit row. If the crew isn’t comfortable with the passenger’s language skills, it’s within their rights to request the passenger to move.”
However, it certainly seems like the champ would be more than capable in an emergency situation…