Khabib Nurmagomedov Speaks Out After Being Removed from L.A. Flight, Cites Race and Nationality Concerns
UFC legend Khabib Nurmagomedov is speaking out after being booted from a flight headed for Los Angeles.
On Saturday, ‘The Eagle’ was removed from a plane departing from Las Vegas to L.A. Nurmagomedov was traveling to The City of Angeles to corner his cousin, Umar Nurmagomedov, who is set to challenge Merab Dvalishvili for the UFC bantamweight title this weekend inside the Intuit Dome.
Video of the incident quickly went viral but offered little explanation for why Nurmagomedov was asked to switch seats before being removed altogether.
It was later revealed that Nurmagomedov was sitting in an exit row and was asked if he could assist with a potential evacuation. Of course, English is not the lightweight legend’s first language, but he clearly speaks it well enough to understand what is being asked of him. However, that wasn’t good enough for the flight attendant.
did discrimination play a role in khabib Nurmagomedov’s removal from Flight to L.A.?
Nurmagomedov broke his silence on Sunday, suggesting that discrimination may have played a role in the incident.
“First of all, I need to clarify that it was [Frontier Airlines], not Alaska Air,” Nurmagomedov wrote on X.
“Lady who comes to me with questions was very rude from the very beginning, 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.
“But after 2 minutes of conversation, she called security and I was deplaned from this aircraft, after [an hour and a half] I boarded another airline one and left to my destination. 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 eventually made it to L.A. after hopping on another flight a few hours later.
