"This is number 1 bullsh*t" - Fans react after Frontier Airlines claim Khabib Nurmagomedov being ejected from flight is in no way related to ethnicity

Last weekend, MMA legend and former UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov was escorted out of a Frontier Airlines plane. 'The Eagle', who was sitting next to the window of an exit row, was asked if he could speak and understand English - a requirement for anyone sitting there in case there's an emergency.

Despite saying yes, he can speak and understand English and can assist people in case of an emergency, Nurmagomedov was ultimately escorted out of the plane.

A video of the interaction surfaced on TikTok, showing the former UFC champion calmly speaking in English, conversing and reasoning with the flight attendant that he'd like to stay in his seat and that there was no problem with his grasp of the English language.

Nurmagomedov released a detailed recounting of the incident on his Instagram, writing that his ejection from the plane was "racial, national, or other one, I'm not sure."

Due to this, Frontier Airlines released a statement to MMA Junkie that insists the decision to remove the former UFC champion from the flight was "in no way related to ethnicity". MMA Junkie reported on the statement on Instagram:

Fans on uproar with this statement, with @sgraham aping Nurmagomedov's famous line:

"This is number 1 bullshit."

Meanwhile, UFC middleweight Adre Pretroski had a fair point:

"There is literally no one I’d rather have in the exit row seat"

Check out more comments below:

Comments on the post. [Screenshots courtesy: @mmajunkie on Instagram]

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Frontier Airlines' full statement on Khabib Nurmagomedov incident

In the statement released to MMA Junkie, Frontier Airlines claimed that Khabib Nurmagomedov was asked numerous times by the flight attendant if he was willing and able to assist in the event of an emergency. According to the flight attendant, 'The Eagle' did not respond after the first few attempts, which prompted her to deem him as non-compliant.

The statement said:

"The flight attendant informed Mr. Nurmagomedov that he could be moved to a different upgraded seat or exit the plane. Videos circulating on social media platforms do not capture this interaction, and instead show a subsequent interaction after a gate agent entered the plane and reiterated the option to be reseated."

According to the statement, the decision to remove Nurmagomedov was motivated by the former MMA champion's initial unresponsiveness and repeated declines to change seats.

It finished with:

"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.”