Airline incident: Khabib Nurmagomedov removed from flight
Retired UFC champion Khabib Nurmagomedov believes that he was the target of racism during a dispute with a Frontier Airlines flight attendant on Sunday.
Videos of the incident circulated social media, where the former lightweight champion can be seen seated in an emergency exit row and arguing with the attendant over his ability to speak English.
He was eventually forced to leave the plane, which he was travelling on ahead of UFC 311, where two of his teammates – Islam Makhachev and Umar Nurmagomedov – are fighting.
Nurmagomedov has since released a statement about the confrontation, insinuating that the motivate behind his ejection from the flight was racial.
“Lady who comes to me with questions was very rude from the very beginning,” he said.
“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 two 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’s statement triggered a response from the Council on American-Islamic Relations, who have come out in support of the 36-year-old, who is a Muslim.
“We call on [Frontier Airlines] and the U.S. Department of Transportation to swiftly and transparently investigate this incident to determine exactly what happened on this flight and why athlete and Muslim advocate Khabib Nurmagomedov was treated this way and whether religious or racial profiling played a role in his treatment,” the statement said.
Both of Nurmagomedov’s teammates are heavy favourites across UFC bookmakers heading into this weekend’s event.
Makhachev takes on Arman Tsarukyan in the main event and is a $1.25 favourite at BetOnline.
In the co-main, Umar Nurmagomedov fights Merab Dvalishvili and is ahead $1.30 to $3.50 at the top online bookmakers to claim the UFC bantamweight belt.
