Khabib Nurmagomedov kicked off flight over seating dispute

Khabib Nurmagomedov was involved in an incident this weekend that led to his removal from an airplane.

Video went viral on Sunday of the former UFC champion Nurmagomedov having a dispute with airline staff while on a commercial flight getting ready to take off. The video showed Nurmagomedov sitting in window seat of the emergency exit row while a staff member told him that the flight attendants were not allowing him to sit in that row.

Nurmagomedov could be heard saying, “I know the language. I know how to help people.” But the staff member continued to inform him that he would either have to switch seats or be removed from the plane, saying the flight attendants were not comfortable with him sitting there. Nurmagomedov replied by saying, “It’s not fair” and that he was already asked during the check-in process if he knew English.

Eventually, a supervisor arrived, and Nurmagomedov walked off the plane with him. You can see the full video at the link here.

TMZ reports that the incident occurred at Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas, Nev. on Saturday night. Nurmagomedov’s camp had yet to respond to a request for comment at the time of writing.

Now 36 years old, Nurmagomedov retired from mixed martial arts in 2021 with a perfect 29-0 record and the title of longest-reigning UFC lightweight champion in history. He was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame in 2022 and has since done work as a promoter and as a coach and cornerman.

Other than that, Nurmagomedov has mostly kept out of the news in recent years (besides his perpetual jabs at longtime rival Conor McGregor, whom he defeated by submission back in 2018).