Michael Chandler brings up Nate Diaz's English with a six-word response after the latter appears to mock Khabib Nurmagomedov being ejected from flight

News has been storming the MMA world of Khabib Nurmagomedov getting escorted out of a Frontier Airlines flight. The incident stemmed from a flight attendant deeming 'The Eagle' non-compliant after he was asked if he could speak and understand English. This is customary for passengers sitting in the window seat of an exit row of a plane, in case of an emergency.

Despite saying yes to whether he can understand and speak English and if he's willing and able to assist if an emergency happens, Nurmagomedov was asked to change seats. The former UFC champion calmly tried to reason with the flight attendant as he asked them to let him keep his seat. He was ultimately escorted out, which the Russian MMA star respectfully complied.

The MMA world went into a collective uproar over the incident, with accusations of the airline being racially and ethnically motivated in removing Nurmagomedov. UFC lightweight star Michael Chandler wrote on X:

"Can you imagine, an emergency happens on your plane and you would prefer a 'perfect' speaking human instead of one of the greatest athletes of all time because you’re 'uncomfortable' with his ability to speak English [which is very good, btw] - this is bizarre. Not only was he the most physically capable human being on the plane but I’m pretty sure the ONLY qualification to sitting in the exit row is being able to say the word 'yes'. @TeamKhabib"

MMA legend and former UFC star Nate Diaz commented on the X post with one emoji:

"😂"

Chandler then replied to the Stockton bad boy's post, saying:

"He speaks better English than you @NateDiaz209 🤣"

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Frontier Airlines releases statement on Khabib Nurmagomedov incident

After video surfaced of Khabib Nurmagomedov getting escorted out of the flight, 'The Eagle' himself took to Instagram to address the incident. The former UFC champion contemplated the reason behind his forced exit, saying it was "racial, or another one, I'm not sure".

Addressing this issue, the airline in question, Frontier Airlines, released a formal statement to set the record straight:

"On Jan. 11, 2025, as flight 4401 from Las Vegas to San Francisco was preparing for departure, a flight attendant initiated the customary briefing for exit row passengers."

The statement recounted how Nurmagomedov was allegedly not responding to the flight attendant asking him if he was willing and able to assist during an emergency. The flight attendant then suggested that the Russian MMA star be upgraded or moved to a different seat - or exit the plane.

The statement ended with:

"As a result of the customer’s initial unresponsiveness and repeated declinations of a seat change, he was asked to deplane per airline and FAA policy. 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.”