Joe Rogan has shared his thoughts on Khabib Nurmagomedov's recent travel woes.
'The Eagle' found himself at the center of a scandal during his trip to California to corner Islam Makhachev in his lightweight title defense against Arman Tsarukyan at UFC 311 on Saturday night.
Unfortunately, the trip took longer than expected, as Khabib Nurmagomedov was kicked off a flight after being deemed an unsuitable candidate for an exit row seat.
Viral footage of the 29-0 Russian MMA legend arguing with the flight crew before leaving the plane has sparked an uproar from fans, a statement from Nurmagomedov and a response from Frontier Airlines.
Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC and Khabib Nurmagomedov and flight attendant (right)
Joe Rogan shocked by clip of Khabib Nurmagomedov
Joe Rogan recently met up with some of his comedian friends for a podcast.
During their five-hour show, someone brought up Nurmagomedov's travel issues, prompting the legendary UFC commentator to passionately defend one of the greatest fighters of all time.
Rogan said: “Isn't that crazy?
“A lady came up to Khabib when he was on the run because he was in the breakaway row. There's a video of it. It's crazy! He tells her, “I can do this. I understand English. I can speak English'. And they kick him out of the damn plane. Bro, it's crazy!
“I wish I was on that plane… Maybe she thinks Jon Jones is the GOAT and she doesn't like this Khabib talk. She says, 'F*** off, I'm a Jon Jones fan.' The GOAT conversation is between the two.
“It's really crazy when you look at it… He was calm and respectful. He speaks clear English and said, 'I will help. I will open the door'. People are crazy.
“Wouldn't you love to be on that flight and say, 'Ma'am, do you know who that is?' Let me tell you who that is. Let me google him real quick.”
“Can you imagine if she did that in Dagestan? They would throw her in a hole.”
What did Khabib Nurmagomedov say?
Nurmagomedov did not immediately respond to his viral flight problem.
Ultimately, he felt forced to do so because the wrong airline received hate from fight fans.
“First of all, I must clarify that it was @FlyFrontier and not AlaskaAir,” Nurmagomedov wrote after people wrongly called for a boycott of Alaska Air.
“Lady who comes to me with questions was very rude from the beginning, even though I speak English very well and can understand everything and am willing to help, she still insists on removing me from my seat. What the basis for that was, racial, national or otherwise, I'm not sure.
“But after a two-minute conversation, she called security and I was kicked off this plane. After 1.5 hours, I boarded another airline and headed to my destination.
“I did my best to remain calm and respectful, as you can see in the video. But those crew members can do better next time and just be nice to the customers.”
Fly Frontier fired back with another account in a statement to MMA Fighting.
“On January 11, 2025, as Flight 4401 from Las Vegas to San Francisco was preparing for departure, a flight attendant initiated the usual briefing for passengers in the exit row. Customer Khabib Nurmagomedov, who was sitting in an exit row, was asked several times if he was willing and able to assist in an emergency situation,” the company said.
“According to the flight attendant, Mr. Nurmagomedov was unresponsive despite repeated attempts, thereby failing to comply 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 instead show a subsequent interaction after a gate agent entered the aircraft and repeated the option to be reseated.
“As a result of the customer's initial indifference and repeated rejection of a seat change, he was asked to deplane, per airline and FAA policy. The decision to remove the customer from the plane was in no way related to his ethnicity and we have refunded him and his traveling companions for their flights.”
Related topics
Comments