Khabib Nurmagomedov Speaks Out After Being Removed from Frontier Airlines Flight

Khabib Nurmagomedov, the former UFC Lightweight Champion, was recently removed from a Frontier Airlines flight at Las Vegas’ Harry Reid International Airport. The incident, which quickly went viral, involved Khabib being escorted off the plane after a tense exchange with airline staff. The 35-year-old fighter took to X (formerly Twitter) on January 12, 2025, to share his side of the story. He clarify some details about the encounter.

Flight Incident Involving Khabib Nurmagomedov

According to Khabib, the altercation started when he was questioned by a flight attendant while seated in the exit row. The attendant asked Khabib if he was capable of assisting others in an emergency. This is a standard protocol for exit row passengers. Khabib confirmed his ability to comply with the request, yet the exchange turned sour.

The UFC champion described the interaction as rude and unprofessional. He said, “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.” Khabib further questioned the motive behind the airline staff’s treatment, wondering if it was based on “racial, national, or other” factors, as he felt unfairly targeted.

 

Security Called to Remove Khabib from the Flight

The situation escalated when the flight attendant called for security to remove Khabib from the flight. Despite staying calm and respectful, the staff escorted Khabib off the plane. “What was the base for that, racial, national or other one, I’m not sure,” he added in his post. A fellow passenger filmed a portion of the exchange, with the flight attendant saying, “We cannot allow you to sit in the exit row… I’m not going to do this back and forth. I’ll go call a supervisor. You can either take a different seat or we can escort you off the plane.”

Khabib emphasized that he did not want the confrontation to escalate and felt that the airline could have handled the situation with more professionalism.

Continuing His Journey

Khabib clarified that after the incident, he quickly boarded another airline and continued his travels to California. He was heading there to support his teammates as they prepared for UFC 311, which features title fights with his protege Islam Makhachev and Umar Nurmagomedov.

The viral incident has sparked widespread discussion on social media, with many supporters of Khabib criticizing the airline’s handling of the situation