UFC Hall of Famer Khabib Nurmagomedov broke his silence after viral footage surfaced showing him being kicked off an airline during the flight boarding process.
Khabib Nurmagomedov's hectic UFC 311 fight week got off to a bizarre start when he was removed from a plane by Frontier Airlines flight attendants due to a misunderstanding over the exit row seats.
In now-viral footage, Nurmagomedov is seen in a blue jacket sitting in an exit window seat as flight attendants asked him to leave the plane. The flight attendants cited Nurmagomedov's lack of fluency in English as the main reason for his removal.
According to FAA guidelines in the United States, you are not allowed to sit in the exit row of an airplane if English is not your first language. However, Nurmagomedov's English is arguably as fluent as it can be compared to how fluent he was at the start of his fighting career.
The controversy made waves online and for the first time since the incident, Nurmagomedov has explained his side of the story.
Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images
Khabib Nurmagomedov questions whether or not the aviation incident was racial profiling
In a statement on social media, Nurmagomedov gave his side of what happened heading into UFC 311 this weekend.
“First of all, I must clarify that it was [Frontier Airlines] and not [Alaska Airlines]Nurmagomedov began.
“Lady who comes to me with questions was very rude from the beginning, even though I speak English very well and can understand everything to help, she still insists on removing me from my seat. What the basis for that was, racial, national or something else, I'm not sure.
“But after a two-minute conversation, she called security and then I was kicked off this plane [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.”
At the time of writing, Frontier Airlines has not yet responded to Nurmagomedov's claims. Al-Jazeera and other media originally reported that Nurmagomedov had been removed from an Alaska Airlines flight, not Frontier Airlines.
Khabib Nurmagomedov looks ahead to a busy night at UFC 311
One of the greatest UFC fighters of all time, Nurmagomedov will corner Islam Makhachev and his cousin Umar this weekend in Los Angeles at UFC 311. Makhachev will defend the UFC lightweight title in a rematch against Arman Tsarukyan, while Umar Nurmagomedov will takes on UFC bantamweight titleholder Merab Dvalishvili in the co-main.
UFC 311 is still scheduled for the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles at the time of writing, although the promotion is reportedly considering moving the card to Las Vegas amid the California wildfires. Regardless, Nurmagomedov will coach Umar and Makhachev in their two title fights this weekend.
Nurmagomedov retired from fighting in 2020 after a win over Justin Gaethje at UFC 254. He entered the UFC Hall of Fame in 2022 along with his old teammate Daniel Cormier of the American Kickboxing Academy.
The incident involving Nurmagomedov and Frontier Airlines remains under investigation.
Related topics
Comments