Frontier Airlines Releases Statement Regarding Khabib Nurmagomedov’s Removal From Flight

Frontier Airlines has now addressed the viral video showing retired UFC champion Khabib Nurmagomedov being kicked off a flight over his seat in an exit row during a recent trip from Las Vegas to San Francisco .

The incident filmed by another passenger and posted on social media shows a flight attendant asking Nurmagomedov to change seats because flight staff were “not comfortable” with him sitting in an exit row . The altercation ended when Nurmagomedov disembarked from the flight after the flight attendant told him “you can either take another seat or we can go ahead and escort you off the plane.”

On Monday, Frontier Airlines released a statement to MMA Fighting regarding the altercation while denying that Nurmagomedov was singled out because of his ethnicity. Read the full statement below:

“On January 11, 2025, as Flight 4401 from Las Vegas to San Francisco prepared for departure, a flight attendant initiated the usual briefing for exit row passengers. Customer Khabib Nurmagomedov, who was seated in an exit row, was asked several times if he was willing and able to help in an emergency. According to the flight attendant, Mr. Nurmagomedov did not respond, despite repeated attempts, placing him in non-compliance with FAA requirements. The flight attendant informed Mr. Nurmagomedov that he could be moved to another upgraded seat or leave the plane.

“Videos circulating on social media platforms do not capture this interaction, but rather show a subsequent interaction after a gate agent entered the plane and reiterated the option to re-seat. Due to the customer’s lack of initial response and repeated refusals to change seats, he was asked to exit the aircraft, per airline and FAA policy. The decision to deplane the customer was in no way related to his ethnicity and we reimbursed him and his traveling companions for their flights.

After video of the incident was made public, Nurmagomedov released his own statement after being kicked off the flight and claimed the flight attendant who spoke to him had been “very rude” from the start.

“I tried my best to stay calm and respectful, as you can see in the video,” Nurmagomedov said. “But these crew members could do better next time and just be nice to the customers.”

While Frontier Airlines denies that Nurmagomedov’s ethnicity played any role in his removal from the flight, the Council on American-Islamic Relations has called for an investigation into the situation.

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

“Given the frequency with which incidents of racial and religious profiling occur on airlines, particularly against visibly Muslim travelers, (Frontier Airlines) should also make public the results of its investigation and take appropriate action to address any misconduct or error by its personnel.

Based on Frontier Airlines’ statement, it appears there is no planned investigation into Nurmagomedov’s reimbursement for his flight after he was removed from the plane.