Former UFC champion Khabib Nurmagomedov found himself in an unexpected and humiliating situation last weekend when he was kicked off a plane while traveling to attend UFC 311 in Inglewood, California.The incident, reported by local media such as Sports Illustrated, has sparked widespread discussion and debate.
Nurmagomedov boarded a flight from Las Vegas to Los Angeles last Saturday, but was forced to disembark before the plane took off. A video leaked through social media on Sunday morning showed the moment when he was removed from the aircraft. The issue arose when a flight attendant attempted to get Nurmagomedov, who was sitting in an emergency exit seat, to agree to a request for cooperation. According to airline regulations, passengers in such seats must consent to assist in emergency situations. If a passenger refuses, thay might potentially be rearranged or, in extreme cases, removed from the plane.
For U.S. airlines, consent is confirmed by the passenger saying “yes.” Even if the passenger is a foreigner whose native language is not English, a simple “yes” suffices. On social media, it was noted that Nurmagomedov initially did not understand the flight attendant’s question but eventually answered “yes” after being asked several times.However, the flight attendant arbitrarily judged that there was a problem. Nurmagomedov, feeling the situation was unfair, refused to change his seat and was consequently kicked off the plane.
Later, nurmagomedov took to Instagram to clarify the situation. He posted a photo of his flight ticket and stated, “It was frontier, not Alaska Airlines.” He elaborated,“The woman who came to me and asked questions was very rude from the beginning. Even though I had no problem speaking English,could understand everything,and agreed to help,they continued to insist that I should not sit there. I’m not sure if it’s as of my race or nationality. But after two minutes of conversation,he called security and was removed from the plane. After 1 hour and 30 minutes, I was able to board another airlineS flight. As you can see in the video, I stayed as calm as possible and showed respect for the othre person.Thes flight attendants need to do better and treat passengers more kindly next time.”
Nurmagomedov, a fighter with an impeccable record of 29 wins and no losses in mixed martial arts, became the UFC lightweight champion by defeating Al Iaquinta in January 2018. He successfully defended his title three times against Conor McGregor, Dustin Poirier, and Justin Gaethje, and was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame in 2022.
| Key Points |
|—————-|
| Incident date | Last Saturday
| Flight Route | Las Vegas to Los Angeles
| Reason for Removal | Dispute over emergency exit seat consent
| Airline | Frontier Airlines
| Outcome | Removed from plane, boarded another flight later
This incident has raised questions about airline protocols and passenger treatment, especially in cases involving high-profile individuals. Nurmagomedov’s calm demeanor and subsequent clarification have garnered support from fans and followers, who are calling for better treatment of passengers by airline staff. If you found this article insightful, please click like to show your support.
