Frontier Airlines rejects the idea that UFC Hall of Famer Khabib Nurmagomedov was kicked off a flight for any reason other than failure to comply with Federal Aviation Administration requirements.
Nurmagomedov confirmed Sunday that he was escorted off a Frontier Airlines flight after video of the incident went viral on social media. In an Instagram post, Nurmagomedov said the incident was related to his fluency in English, an FAA requirement for passengers seated in exit rows on flights departing from the United States.
For his part, Nurmagomedov said the flight attendant who first approached him “was very rude from the start.” He went on to write: “Even though I speak very decent English, can understand everything and have agreed to help me, she still insists on removing me from my seat. What the basis for this was, racial, national or otherwise, I’m not sure.
In a statement to MMA Junkie on Monday, Frontier provided its version of events and said the incident “was in no way related to (Nurmagomedov’s) ethnicity.”
“On January 11, 2025, as Flight 4401 from Las Vegas to San Francisco prepared for departure, a flight attendant initiated the customary briefing for exit row passengers,” the Frontier statement said. “Customer Khabib Nurmagomedov, who was seated in an exit row, was asked multiple times if he was willing and able to assist 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.
Khabib focused on UFC 311 (pay-per-view, ESPNews/Disney+, ESPN+) this Saturday from the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California. In the main event of the evening, Khabib protégé Islam Makhachev will defend his lightweight title against Arman Tsarukyan. And in the co-main event, Khabib’s cousin Umar Nurmagomedov will challenge bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili for gold.
Khabib Nurmagomedov, who became a coach after retiring in 2020, is expected to be the cornerman for his two fighters.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 311.