The retired UFC fighter was involved in a sit-down incident with Alaska Airlines employees and was later removed from the plane in Las Vegas in the US.
Photos have surfaced online of Hall of Fame UFC fighter Khabib Nurmagomedov being involved in a seat dispute with airline workers at Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas that led to the Russian being taken out of a plane he was taking to Los Angeles.
The dispute was based on whether Nurmagomedov, who was sitting in the exit row of the plane, was ready or able to help other passengers if there was an emergency.
On the video, an Alaska Airlines flight attendant is seen asking the 36-year-old man if he had the ability to help others from his window exit seat, if he had to.
The incident was recorded on another passenger's mobile phone and the flight attendant can be heard saying, “We can't let you sit in the exit row… I'm not going to do this again and forward. I will contact a supervisor. You can take another seat or we can go ahead and get you off the plane.”
Nurmagomedov responded to the flight attendant by saying, “It's not fair.” He is also heard to say that he had fully complied with the flight crew during the boarding process, and said: “When I was in the check-in, I asked they asked me if I spoke English… and I say yes. Then why are you doing this?”
The manager of the flight attendant, who was not satisfied with the response from the legend of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), was heard on the video again offering Nurmagomedov another seat on the plane, in addition to offered him the option of taking another flight. Nurmagomedov was then reportedly removed from the plane, along with his traveling companions.
Nurmagomedov is believed to have flown to California to support his teammates ahead of the UFC 311 event on January 18 in Los Angeles, Nevada in the US.
Nurmagomedov, a Muslim, is undefeated (29-0) in his UFC career and is considered by many to be one of the greatest MMA fighters of all time.
Alaska Airlines and Nurmagomedov have yet to comment on the incident, which is believed to have taken place on January 11.
Khabib removed from the plane? It seems that even one of the most famous Muslims in the world could not escape from racial profiling in America. It doesn't matter what your “status” is.@AlaskaAir this is complete rubbish. pic.twitter.com/o6XB3KMi77
– Dr. Omar Suleiman (@omarsuleiman) January 12, 2025
