ISTANBUL
Former UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov was removed from an Alaska Airlines flight following a dispute over seating arrangements in the exit row, with a viral clip capturing the heated exchange.
The footage shows airline staff asking Nurmagomedov to change his seat, citing regulations, which he refused to comply with. A flight attendant is heard warning the retired fighter that a supervisor could be called to escort him off the plane. Moments later, Nurmagomedov voluntarily left the aircraft.
The incident was captured on another passenger’s mobile phone, in which the flight attendant can be heard saying: “We cannot allow you to sit in the exit row … I am not going to do this back and forth. I’ll go call a supervisor. You can either take a different seat or we can go ahead and escort you off the plane.”
Nurmagomedov responded by saying: “It’s not fair. When I was in check-in, they asked me if I know English, and I said yes. Then why do you guys do this?”
The 36-year-old fighter from Dagestan, Russia, retired in 2020 after defeating Justin Gaethje in Abu Dhabi, extending his unbeaten record to 29-0. Nurmagomedov is the first Russian and first Muslim to win the UFC lightweight championship.
One of his most famous victories came in 2018, when he defeated Ireland’s Conor McGregor in a high-profile lightweight title fight in Las Vegas, US.
