Former UFC fighter Khabib Nurmagomedov, 36, was removed from a flight at Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas following a dispute over seating arrangements. The incident, which occurred on Saturday, involved a verbal exchange between Nurmagomedov and airline staff, as seen in a viral video shared online.
Initially reported as an Alaska Airlines flight, Nurmagomedov later clarified on X (formerly Twitter) that it was a Frontier Airlines flight. In his statement, he wrote:
“First of all, I need to clarify that it was @FlyFrontier, not AlaskaAir. 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. But after 2 minutes of conversation, she called security and I was deplaned from this aircraft. After 1.5 hours, I boarded another airline 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.”
The dispute began when the staff raised concerns about Nurmagomedov sitting in an exit row, which requires passengers to assist during emergencies. In the video, a flight attendant can be heard explaining: “What we’re going to do is either have you switch your seat because my flight attendants are not allowing you to sit in the exit row, or you’re going to have to get off this plane and then we’ll have to rebook you.”
Nurmagomedov protested, saying he understood English and was willing to assist, but the flight attendant insisted on his removal, prompting security to intervene.
Nurmagomedov and his traveling companions, who were reportedly en route to Los Angeles for the UFC 311 event on January 18, were deplaned and later rebooked on a different airline.
The incident has drawn widespread attention, with many debating the behavior of both the airline crew and Nurmagomedov. While the video shows him remaining calm, his statement highlights his belief that the situation could have been handled with more professionalism and courtesy.
Frontier Airlines has yet to comment on the matter.
