Daniel Cormier has weighed in on Khabib Nurmagomedov’s recent airplane altercation, and his take is as classic ‘DC’ as it gets. The UFC legend shared his thoughts in a YouTube video, reacting to the now-viral incident where Khabib was asked to either move seats or deboard a Frontier Airlines flight. The reason? The flight attendants reportedly felt “uncomfortable” with him sitting in the emergency exit row above the wings.
Instead of moving, Khabib chose to leave the flight altogether, later sharing the ordeal on Instagram. Cormier, wh0 is always quick to react with humor, initially expressed admiration for Khabib’s calm demeanor. To support him further though, he said that had he been in his place, he would have rebelled on another flight and sat on the same seat.
“I don’t think he did anything wrong. My pride would have made me get thrown off the flight, to go on a later flight, and guess what I would have done on that later flight? I would’ve sat right back in that exit row,” Cormier said on the Good Guy/Bad Guy podcast.
Chael Sonnen, on the same podcast, admitted that if there was one person he would want on a flight sitting next to him especially to feel safe, it is none other than Khabib. They both discussed the possibility of Khabib perhaps not being recognisable that he had to endure such an ordeal. For Sonnen and Cormier, it is about respect and the fact that Khabib was given such options by the flight attendants even after being very nice to them, did not sit well.
And yet one can’t help but chuckle at the thought of Cormier taking the exact same seat on a different flight, a playful act of defiance to prove a point. After all, this is the same Daniel Cormier known for his good-natured banter with Khabib during their time as teammates at AKA (American Kickboxing Academy).
The incident itself has sparked plenty of debate online, with many fans siding with Khabib and questioning the airline’s rationale. Why exactly were the flight attendants uncomfortable? Was it a misunderstanding, or something more? These questions remain unanswered, but one thing is clear: Khabib’s composed response earned him respect from fans and peers alike.
So, while ‘The Eagle‘ chose the high road (or, in this case, the runway), DC’s playful suggestion adds a fun ‘what if’ to the story. And who knows? Maybe the next time either of these legends boards a flight, the emergency exit row will come with a lot less drama… or a lot more, if DC has his way.
Well amidst all this drama, the airline issued a statement regarding the incident and they are adamant that they are not at fault.
Frontier Airlines issues statement for Khabib incident
Following the incident, Frontier Airlines released a statement offering their perspective. According to the airline, the situation arose during the customary briefing for passengers seated in exit rows. On January 11, 2025, as flight 4401 from Las Vegas to San Francisco prepared for departure, Khabib Nurmagomedov, seated in an emergency exit row, was asked multiple times if he was willing and able to assist in the event of an emergency.
The airline claims that despite repeated attempts, Khabib did not respond, which placed him in non-compliance with FAA requirements. A gate agent reportedly entered the plane and reiterated the option for Khabib to move to a different upgraded seat or deplane. Frontier Airlines emphasized –
“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.”
Frontier Airlines has released a statement regarding Khabib being removed from his flight:
“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. Customer Khabib… pic.twitter.com/P2dAPzQmeX
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) January 13, 2025
Fans in the comments section were not very happy with the way Frontier Airlines has reacted to the situation, claiming that what they did to the UFC legend was wrong. What is most impressive in this entire ordeal is the calm temperament of ‘The Eagle’ who never once raised his voice or made it about himself.
