Conor McGregor lost to Khabib Nurmagomedov (Image: Getty Images)
appeared to take a dig at his long-standing adversary, Khabib Nurmagomedov, after the latter was ejected from a flight following a dispute with an attendant.
The ex-UFC lightweight world champion was caught on camera in a heated exchange with a crew member on a flight destined for Los Angeles from Las Vegas over the weekend. Nurmagomedov, who was seated in the exit row, was asked to move by Frontier Airlines staff who were reportedly “uncomfortable” with him being there.
The Russian strongly objected to the “unfair” decision, asserting that he “knows the language” and “how to help people.” He added: “It’s not fair… I’d like to sit here.” Eventually, he was given an ultimatum and the 36 year old was escorted away from his seat despite explaining he had been cleared to sit in the exit row by airport staff.
The incident quickly went viral on social media, prompting McGregor, Nurmagomedov’s former rival, to take a cheeky jab at ‘The Eagle. ‘ The Irishman couldn’t resist the opportunity to score a point against the ex-champion by following the account of Frontier Airlines.
McGregor and Nurmagomedov have a history of trading insults on social media before and after their face-off in 2018. The Russian emerged victorious over ‘The Notorious’ to retain his lightweight title before a brawl broke out between the two teams. It’s clear that the fiery rivalry between the two men is still very much alive following their infamous showdown at UFC 229.
Shortly after the incident, Khabib Nurmagomedov took to social media to assert his innocence, venting his frustration over the altercation. On his X account – the platform formerly known as Twitter – Nurmagomedov remarked: “The lady who came to me with questions was very rude from the very beginning. 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 another one, I’m not sure. But after two minutes of conversation, she called security, and I was deplaned from this aircraft. After 1.5 hours, I boarded another airline one and left to my destination. I did my best to stay calm and respectful, as you can see in the video. But those crew members could do better next time and just be nice with clients.”
Frontier Airlines swooped in with a statement addressing the melee, confirming that they were probing into the circumstances. Their release articulated: “We are aware of the incident and are investigating.” Elaborating further to Sport, the airline elaborated: “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. As a result, he was asked to move to a different upgraded seat which he refused to do. Therefore, in accordance with airline and FAA policy, he was asked to deplane. The decision to deplane the customer was in no way related to his ethnicity and we have refunded him and his travelling companions for their flights.”