Khabib Nurmagomedov confirmed Sunday it was a Frontier Airlines flight that deplaned him. This is the one single matter that has taken the internet by storm. Nurmagomedov, a devout Muslim, is otherwise fluent in conversation English. So, whatever this was – was on the basis of racial and sentimental profiling. ‘The Eagle’ was on his way to the UFC 311 PPV card, Intuit Dome, Inglewood before the removal.
Video surfaced Sunday that showed Khabib Nurmagomedov sitting emergency window aisle, conversing with a crew member. The crew member told him to opt for a new seat or to be removed from the aircraft. The former fighter said it wasn’t fair, given his conversational prowess. The crew member retorted “It is fair,…But it’s also off of [the flight attendant’s] judgment.” A supervisor was called upon to remove him.
First of all, I need to clarify that it was @FlyFrontier, not Alaska Air.
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 [an hour and a half] 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.Khabib Nurmagomedov via X (@TeamKhabib) and IG
Not a great pump for “The Eagle” on UFC 311 PPV fight week. Khabib is to corner both UFC 155-pound champion Islam Makhachev and bantamweight top seed, cousin Umar Nurmagomedov on the 18th. Nurmagomedov has cornered friends and family before as well.
Former manager/friend Ali Abdelaziz released a statement to MMAFighting on SBN saying it’s very harsh as Khabib is of top mannerism and class. Following the news, the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) also supported Nurmagomedov.
We call on Alaska Airlines and the U.S. Department of Transportation to swiftly and transparently investigate this incident to determine exactly what happened on this flight and why athlete and Muslim advocate Khabib Nurmagomedov was treated this way…
— CAIR National (@CAIRNational) January 12, 2025 on X in a now-deleted tweet, back when it thought it was Alaska Airlines
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…— khabib nurmagomedov (@TeamKhabib) January 12, 2025
If a passenger is unable to comply in an emergency exit row, attendants can turf them from the seat. In an exactly similar post on IG, Nurmagomedov even posted his flight stubs in support of his argument of allowing him to the emergency aisle knowing well he can speak in English. While he has been garnering a lot of support on this, one brash fighter jumped the gun to diss him.
Chaotic Colby Covington brutally mocks Khabib Nurmagomedov after flight removal
After a heated exchange between Nurmagomedov and several cabin crew, the ex-UFC fighter was removed from the plane. As a result, it’s uncertain if he got another seat or rebooked on another flight. Colby Covington didn’t take long to weigh in on Khabib Nurmagomedov’s viral removal from a flight en route to UFC 311.
Khabib Nurmagomedov comes under fire from unlikely source (Source: IMAGO/X)Constant rival Covginton has often teased a future prize fight with Makhachev. He often goes the “Notorious” Conor McGregor route to bill Team Khabib on doping allegations. Covington recently tweeted mocking Khabib’s removal from the supposed Alaska Airlines flight. “Bratha why you fly the coach and the Alaska airlines bratha!?” Covington retorted.
2024 was not all that smooth for Khabib. Per mma.metarating.ru, Nurmagomedov reportedly owed $3.3 million (or just over 300 million rubles) to the Federal Agency. He also came under fire for alleged terror links in light of one-time fighter Gadzhimurad Kagirov training on his premises. The likes of McGregor started a trend to diss him on it for a whole year. The trend seems to have started early in 2025.
Covington is looking to return to the Octagon in 2025 following a doctor’s stoppage loss at UFC Tampa last month. He is 0-3 in UFC welterweight title fights, having lost three of his last four.
Meanwhile, Khabib Nurmagomedov is still to be in Los Angeles later this week for UFC 311, barring a very awkward last-minute postponement due to the California wildfires. The whole ordeal was odd. But leave it to “Chaos” to make it more so. Covington dissing Nurmagomedov on an issue everyone is supporting him on was in no one’s bingo card.
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