[Former UFC Champion Khabib Nurmagomedov “was asked to deplane” a Frontier Airlines plane after a disagreement over sitting in an exit-row seat, the airline said in a statement.
According to the airline, Nurmagomedov, seated in an exit row, was asked multiple times if he was willing and able to assist in the event of an emergency, but did not respond, placing him in non-compliance with FAA requirements. When he refused to move to a different seat, he was asked to deplane.
In a video captured by a passenger, Nurmagomedov can be seen in a tense discussion with a staff member on board the airplane before he departs. He claims that the “lady” who approached him was “very rude” and that he did his best to stay calm and respectful.
The airline stated that the decision to deplane Nurmagomedov was not related to his ethnicity and that he was refunded for his flight, as well as that of his traveling companions.
Nurmagomedov, widely considered one of the greatest mixed martial artists of all time, wrote on X about the incident, stating that a “lady” had been “very rude” to him and that he was deplaned after 2 minutes of conversation. He claimed that he was forced to board another airline and leave his destination due to the incident.
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