Khabib Nurmagomedov’s removal from a Frontier Airlines plane over an exit seat dispute has taken the MMA world by storm.
Nurmagomedov was already popular for his Irish vs. Russian MMA comments. Now, footage of Nurmagomedov being removed from the plane has gone viral, leading to much speculation about why ‘The Eagle’ was forced from the plane.
Many MMA pundits and UFC fighters have commented on the story, including fellow countryman Shara Bullet, and one-time UFC lightweight title challenger Michael Chandler, who branded the incident “bizarre.”
Michael Chandler accuses Frontier Airlines of discriminating Khabib Nurmagomedov
Shortly after the incident made the rounds, ‘Iron Mike’ took to X and called the airline out for discrimination against “one of the greatest athletes of all time.”
“Can you imagine, an emergency happens on your plane and you would prefer a ‘perfect’ speaking human instead of one of the greatest athletes of all time because you’re ‘uncomfortable’ with his ability to speak English (which is very good by the way) – this is bizarre,” Chandler wrote.
“Not only was he the most physically capable human being on the plane but I’m pretty sure the only qualification to sitting in the exit row is being able to say the word ‘yes.'”
Chandler followed up with another post, proposing a new means-tested system for exit-seat passengers, highlighting that he’d seen some “slugs” in exit row seats.
“If you’re going to kick our GOAT off the plane for a little accent, please start making passengers do a physical and mental fitness aptitude test before you let them sit in the exit row after uttering a one word, one syllable, ‘yes,'” Chandler remarked. “Because I’ve seen some slugs in the exit row on flights.”
38-year-old Chandler gears up for a rumored fight with Paddy Pimblett. He rides a 1-4 record in his last five UFC appearances, earning four performance bonuses. While he might be out of the picture, Chandler’s star leverage and a win over Pimblett could springboard him back into contention.
Khabib Nurmagomedov clears the air on Frontier Airlines drama
Nurmagomedov isn’t leaving anything up to speculation. ‘The Eagle’ released a statement on the flight incident, remarking that he wasn’t sure why he was removed from the plane. He ended his statement amicably by saying the crew members “could do better.”
“The lady who comes to me with questions was very rude from the beginning,” Nurmagomedov clarified. “[Even though I speak and understand good English] she still insists on removing me from my seat. What was the base for that, racial, national or other one, I’m not sure.
“After two minutes of conversation, she called security and I was deplaned from this aircraft. . . . 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.”
Nurmagomedov remains retired since defeating Justin Gaethje in 2020. His protégé, Islam Makhachev, has the opportunity to break Nurmagomedov’s lightweight title defense record at UFC 311. Even though Nurmagomedov admits he doesn’t enjoy cornering his fighters, we should still see him in the corner of Makhachev on the night.