Following his troubles with Frontier Airlines, Khabib Nurmagomedov would never wish to sit by the emergency exit on any of his flights. Earlier in January 2025, the former undefeated UFC lightweight champion was travelling from Las Vegas to San Francisco. However, he was sitting beside the emergency exit, which necessitated he comply with the airline staff during emergencies. Basically, all he had to do was say yes when the flight attendant asked him if he was willing to help during such times. And even after he agreed to help, the flight attendant wasn’t pleased.
Nurmagomedov believed that it was because English wasn’t his first language. But the case was a bit different. The flight attendant claimed, “It’s not about the language, sir. It’s the fact that now you’re giving me a hard time. So, I don’t feel comfortable with you sitting in the exit row.” The scuffle continued even after ‘The Eagle’s co-passengers stood in support of the former UFC champion. Ultimately, Nurmagomedov was escorted off the plane.
Following the scuffle, Khabib Nurmagomedov dropped a statement on X. He wrote, “The lady who came to me with questions was very rude from the beginning. Even though I speak very decent English and can understand everything, and I agreed to assist, she still insisted on removing me from my seat.” But in the statement released by the airline, the staff claimed that Nurmagomedov was non-compliant with FAA requirements and was deplaned because of it. He had the choice to move to a different seat, as well. They continued, “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.”
Now, months after the scuffle with the $4.45B airline, the Dagestani star found himself in a position that reminded him of the headaches in January. And you guessed it correctly! He was seated in the emergency row on his recent flight. He took to his Instagram Story and put on a picture of himself by the emergency exit. And in the caption, he tagged Dana White for some justification. He asked, “Why do they always put me in this place? [Dana White]”
Khabib Nurmagomedov got seated in the Emergency Exit row on his flight again
“Why do they always put me in this place? @danawhite”
@TeamKhabib #UFC #MMA pic.twitter.com/02xOuNK1lW
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) April 28, 2025
Of course, the UFC head honcho has a soft spot for his champions. And after he got to know what Frontier Airlines did to his former lightweight champion, White’s wrath knew no bounds. He lashed out at the staff for their massive mistake. Let’s see what the UFC CEO said about Nurmagomedov’s removal from the flight.
When Dana White lashed out at Frontier Airlines for removing Khabib Nurmagomedov
Most of the fighting community didn’t like it when Nurmagomedov was escorted out of the plane for a mistake that he didn’t even commit. Belal Muhammad claimed that ‘The Eagle’ could have taken some drastic steps. He said, “He could’ve threw everyone off the plane and flew it himself if he wanted.” On the other hand, Conor McGregor found the perfect chance to take a jab at his former opponent. Well, he didn’t say anything, but made sure to follow the airline that kicked his rival out. However, the UFC head honcho had to stand in support of the former UFC lightweight champion.
During his appearance on Pardon My Take, White unleashed his rage on Frontier Airlines. He said, “This kid’s got more money than anybody, but that’s how humble he is. He’s flying on that piece of s— airline. What do you expect? Khabib doesn’t fight anymore because he’s got s— loads of money. I’ve got to teach Khabib how to charter a plane, especially if you’re just going from Vegas to San Francisco. That’s how dumb they are at Frontier Airlines. If there’s anybody you want in that position, it’s Khabib Nurmagomedov. … Khabib shouldn’t even know what the f— Frontier Airlines is, just like most people don’t.”
Later on, the UFC head honcho took to his Instagram profile and shared a Story that claimed that Frontier Airlines was indeed the worst one. And his claims were actually backed by the Wall Street Journal. Needless to say, Nurmagomedov agreed with the claims, and White knew it pretty well. Nevertheless, ‘The Eagle’ had far more important things to attend to (UFC 311) than engaging in an online battle against the airline. But little did he know that he’d soon get a massive flashback of the incident.
What do you think of the heat between Nurmagomedov, White, and the Frontier Airline staff?? Let us know in the comments down below.
The post Dana White’s Haunting Memory With $4.45B Airlines Returns As Khabib Nurmagomedov Puts UFC CEO on Alert appeared first on EssentiallySports.