Frontier Airlines rejects the notion that UFC Hall of Famer Khabib Nurmagomedov was removed from a flight for any reason other than not being compliant with Federal Aviation Administration requirements.

Nurmagomedov confirmed Sunday that he was escorted off a Frontier Airlines flight after video of the incident went viral on social media. In an Instagram post, Nurmagomedov said the incident was related to his English fluency, which is an FAA requirement for passengers sitting in exit rows on flights that depart from the U.S.

For his part, Nurmagomedov said the flight attendant who first approached him “was very rude from the very beginning.” He went on to write, “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.”

In a statement to MMA Junkie on Monday, Frontier provided its version of events and said the incident “was in no way related to (Nurmagomedov’s) ethnicity.

“On Jan. 11, 2025, as flight 4401 from Las Vegas to San Francisco was preparing for departure, a flight attendant initiated the customary briefing for exit row passengers,” Frontier’s statement read. “Customer Khabib Nurmagomedov, who was seated in an exit row, was asked multiple times if he was willing and able to assist in the event of an emergency. According to the flight attendant, Mr. Nurmagomedov did not respond, despite repeated attempts, which placed him in non-compliance with FAA requirements. The flight attendant informed Mr. Nurmagomedov that he could be moved to a different upgraded seat or exit the plane.

“Videos circulating on social media platforms do not capture this interaction, and instead show a subsequent interaction after a gate agent entered the plane and reiterated the option to be reseated. As a result of the customer’s initial unresponsiveness and repeated declinations of a seat change, he was asked to deplane per airline and FAA policy. The decision to deplane the customer was in no way related to his ethnicity, and we have refunded him and his traveling companions for their flights.”

Khabib has been focused on UFC 311 (pay-per-view, ESPNews/Disney+, ESPN+)  this Saturday from Intuit Dome in Inglewood, Calif. In the night’s main event, Khabib protege Islam Makhachev will defend his lightweight title against Arman Tsarukyan. And in the co-main event, Khabib’s cousin, Umar Nurmagomedov, will challenge bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili for gold.

Khabib Nurmagomedov, who transitioned to coaching after his retirement in 2020, is expected to be a cornerman for both of his fighters.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 311.

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