Khabib Nurmagomedov Makes Statement after Ex-Champ was Removed from UFC 311 Flight

Former UFC lightweight champion-turned-coach Khabib Nurmagomedov was recently removed from a plane bound for Los Angeles for next Saturday's UFC 311, which is headlined by two title fights: Islam Makhachev vs. Arman Tsarukyan for Makhachev's lightweight title, and a bantamweight title fight between Merab Dvalishvili and Umar Nurmagomedov.

Nurmagomedov's Plane Dispute Clarified

Things got tense when a viral video surfaced Sunday morning of Nurmagomedov having to be escorted off what was initially identified as an Alaska Airlines flight after the flight attendants were deemed "uncomfortable" if the former champion (whose first language is not English) were to assist in an emergency evacuation or unexpected landing.

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A video of retired UFC star Khabib Nurmagomedov being escorted off an Alaska Airlines flight has gone viral.

It appears staff reported feeling 'uncomfortable' with his apparent grasp of English as he sat in an exit row seat where he would need to assist in an emergency. pic.twitter.com/Bf7S7jLji6
— Al Jazeera English (@AJEnglish) January 12, 2025

It was initially unclear if their reasoning was justified, and now new details have emerged which paint a greater picture as to what fully transpired.

The flight attendant and the airline were power tripping profiling him. Khabib should sue them pic.twitter.com/d60DYJCHwS
— Daily Dose of X (@schuld_eth) January 12, 2025

Below is a portion of the account of the incident leading to Nurmagomedov's eventual removal.

"A Russian woman seated nearby defended him [Nurmagomedov], but the manager explained that since the flight attendant had doubts about Khabib's ability to assist in an emergency, it was best to move him to an identical seat elsewhere and reassign his current seat to someone else," the explanation read.

It was later revealed Nurmagomedov would not comply with moving seats, calling it "not fair." This caused the flight crew to make a decision that they would fly without him.

Incidents like this demonstrate a clear miscommunication among the parties involved, with the attendant wanting to be understood but failing to understand Nurmagomedov's point of view.

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Khabib Nurmagomedov Incident Clarified after Ex-Champ was Removed from UFC 311 Flight — Oct 22, 2022; Abu Dhabi, UAE; Khabib Nurmagomedov is seen during the fight between Abubakar Nurmagomedov (red gloves) and Gadzhi Omargadzhiev (blue gloves) during UFC 280 at Etihad Arena. | Craig Kidwell-Imagn Images

Following the release of the viral video and initial clarification, Nurmagomedov finally took to Instagram to share his account of the incident and also note that it was actually a Frontier flight (not Alaska Airlines) that he had been removed from.

UFC 311 rolls on as scheduled, even amid the Los Angeles wildfires. Even though the Intuit Dome intends to host the event, UFC CEO Dana White confirmed to Kick streamer Adin Ross that the event's backup location will be Las Vegas if the "fires get too bad."

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