Former UFC Champion Khabib removed from flight over seating disagreement

Video footage has surfaced showing former UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov being removed from a Frontier Airlines flight at Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas following a disagreement over his seating.

The incident, which occurred on 11 January, involved a dispute about his suitability to sit in an exit row.

The retired Russian MMA star, regarded as one of the greatest fighters in UFC history with an unbeaten 29-0 record, was reportedly flying to California to support his teammates ahead of the UFC 311 event on 18 January in Los Angeles.

The disagreement began when a flight attendant questioned whether Nurmagomedov, who was seated by the exit, was willing and able to assist other passengers in an emergency. In video footage captured by another passenger, the flight attendant is heard saying: "We cannot allow you to sit in the exit row … I am not going to do this back and forth. I'll call a supervisor. You can either take a different seat or we can go ahead and escort you off the plane."

Nurmagomedov is heard responding, "It's not fair," and claiming he had fully complied with the airline's procedures during boarding. He added, "When I was in check-in, they asked me if I know English, and I said yes. Then why are you guys doing this?"

The airline's supervisor reportedly joined the discussion and offered Nurmagomedov the option to move to a different seat or take another flight. When the situation remained unresolved, the 36-year-old and his companions were escorted off the plane.

Frontier Airlines and Nurmagomedov have not commented on the incident, which remains unclear beyond the circulated footage.

Nurmagomedov, a devout Muslim and UFC Hall of Famer, retired undefeated in 2020 and is widely considered one of the most dominant fighters in MMA history.