Airline Denies Racially Profiling Khabib Nurmagomedov

January 14, 2025
1 month

Fly Frontier flight has denied accusations of racial profiling after Khabib Nurmagomedov was removed from their plane. 

An incident took place between Khabib and a member of their staff due to a dispute over the Russian being seated next to an emergency exit. Those seated near the exits are required to comply with safety protocol and help from that position. Khabib said he understood what was required after concerns about his level of English.

The flight attendant did not agree, asking the Russian to move to another seat.  Nurmagomedov was told that a supervisor would be called if he refused to do so. Khabib stood his ground and then left the plane. While he eventually caught another plane, there were concerns that he may have been targeted due to his ethnicity. That could raise grounds for legal action. But the airline has made it clear this was not the case. They doubled down on their view that it was due to safety concerns. 

Reaction

“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. 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,” Fly Frontier said 

What’s Next?

Khabib is in the US to focus on Islam Makhachev’s fight with Arman Tsarukyan at UFC 311 on the weekend. Islam will make the fourth defense of his UFC Lightweight Title. He defeated Dustin Poirier in his last fight via a fifth-round submission to retain his title. Khabib was in his corner for that fight, as he will be again.

There is a lot riding on this fight since Islam has spoken about his desire to move up to win a belt in another weight class. Belal Muhammad currently holds the welterweight title. While the pair are close friends, Islam wants to become a double champion once he leaves the sport. Khabib has said he does not want to see this fight. However, based on the plane incident, Khabib will have more reasons to see Islam take all the spotlight.

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