Former UFC Lightweight Champion Khabib Nurmagomedov has made headlines in recent days after being booted off a Frontier Airlines flight as he attempted to make his way to this weekend’s UFC 311 pay-per-view event in California.
‘The Eagle’ was seated in an emergency exit row on a service between Las Vegas and San Francisco and was asked by cabin crew to confirm that he would be willing to help fellow passengers in the event of any emergency.
When Khabib’s limited answers failed to convince staff that he was in agreement with the request, he was asked to switch seats. However, the 36-year-old wasn’t happy about being split up from the rest of his party and he was ordered to get off the plane.
Khabib Nurmagomedov later confirmed that he had got on a different flight and made it to Inglewood, California for the UFC’s first pay-per-view event of 2025. The Octagon legend is set to corner his cousin, Umar Nurmagomedov, in the evening’s co-main event against bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili. After that fight, Khabib will be straight back in action, as he coaches Islam Makhachev in his lightweight title defence against Arman Tsarukyan.
Khabib Nurmagomedov Calls Out UFC Staff Member for Holding Title Backstage
‘The Eagle’ couldn’t resist having his say,
Khabib stopped a UFC employee who was carrying a UFC belt and asked him if he was ready to defend it 😭😭
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) January 16, 2025
“No, no, no, come here. Why you take this belt? When you have UFC belt you have to protect this.”
🎥 @TeamKhabib #UFC #MMApic.twitter.com/wuR7yx55Jv
If all goes to plan, Khabib Nurmagomedov will be the coach of a pair of UFC champions by the end of Saturday’s card. Having held the 155-pound crown himself between April 2018 and March 2021, few men respect the legacy behind a UFC title belt as much as Nurmagomedov.
While he was seemingly removed from his recent flight for not communicating adequately, Khabib Nurmagomedov had plenty to say when he saw a UFC employee with a title belt hung over his shoulder before the UFC 311 media day on Wednesday.
Immediately stopping the individual backstage, Khabib demanded to know what was going on: “Brother, this is UFC belt. Hey, this is UFC belt?”
The staff member flashed a smile at Khabib, but never broke stride as he continued to walk away from the former champion. Khabib Nurmagomedov then became more insistent with his questioning.
“Are you ready to defend this title? Brother, if you are not ready, why did you take this? No, no, no, come here!”
Khabib kept a menacing tone throughout, leaving the employee looking increasingly unsure about how much trouble he was in with the Russian superstar. Eventually, he managed to utter a few words explaining that the belt was going to be used for PR purposes. The UFC icon, however, kept the interrogation going:
“It doesn’t matter. When you have a UFC belt, you have to protect this. Just be ready!”
It was only then that Khabib broke into laughter, letting the employee know that he had been joking around. However, even when he’s having some fun, Khabib Nurmagomedov is so intense that he still leaves those around him sweating!
Coach Khabib will be demanding much the same from his two fighters when it comes to their championship bouts at UFC 311. Already one of the greatest fighters in MMA history, Khabib is now looking to repeat that success as a coach. The role may have changed, but the standards are just as high.