UFC icon Khabib Nurmagomedov found himself in the middle of a travel controversy this weekend when Frontier Airlines removed him from a flight before takeoff.
While the airline claims Khabib failed to comply with FAA regulations, the retired fighter insists the situation was mishandled by the flight crew.
This incident has drawn attention due to the differing narratives from both sides, as well as its broader implications on airline protocol and customer service.
Frontier Airlines’ account of the incident
According to a statement from Frontier Airlines, Khabib was seated in an exit row, a location that comes with specific FAA requirements. Passengers in these rows must confirm their willingness and ability to assist in the event of an emergency. The airline asserts that Khabib failed to acknowledge repeated requests to confirm his compliance.
“Mr. Nurmagomedov did not respond, despite repeated attempts, which placed him in non-compliance with FAA requirements,” Frontier explained in a statement.
The airline stated that Khabib was given two options: switch seats or leave the plane. Frontier also clarified that the decision to remove him was unrelated to his ethnicity, addressing potential concerns about bias.
Frontier added that social media videos circulating from the incident do not capture the full context, particularly the interactions that occurred prior to Khabib’s removal.
Nurmagomedov offers a different perspective
Khabib and his manager, Ali Abdelaziz, have a starkly different view of what occurred. Khabib maintains that he complied with the flight crew’s requests and communicated his willingness to assist as required by FAA regulations.
“Lady who comes to me with questions was very rude from the very beginning, even though I speak very decent English and can understand everything and agreed to assist, she still insists on removing me from my seat. What was the base for that, racial, national or other one, I’m not sure,” Nurmagomedov noted.
“But after 2 minutes of conversation, she called security and I was deplaned from this aircraft, after 1.5 hour I boarded another airline one and left to my destination.
“I did my best to stay calm and respectful as you can see on the video. But those crew members could do better next time and just be nice with clients.”