Ahead of UFC 311, Khabib Nurmagomedov became embroiled in controversy after being removed from a Frontier Airlines plane over confusion about his exit row seating. ‘Eagle’ shared his side of the story which got the entire MMA community’s attention and they all came in unison to call out the airline for their pathetic hospitality. Days have passed since the incident, and the airline has been discredited for the event. Now, Dana White has put the final nail in the coffin.

As the wildfires were reaching the CEO’s desk, Frontier Airlines gave their official statement to the fiasco but it just made the matter worse. Their statement read, “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,” the airline stated. But more clips surfaced where Nurmagomedov was seen clearly complying and respectfully communicating with the airline staff. He even had passengers rooting for him during the exchange!

The MMA community was more enraged by the statements from Frontier Airlines, as they believed the airline was refusing to accept their mistake. Dana White added fuel to the fire and shared a study on his Instagram story that showcased that Frontier Airlines has been rated the worst airline by the Wall Street Journal. He shared the story with a caption that read, “Khabib Nurmagomedov agrees.” The UFC CEO had earlier said Nurmagomedov had no business flying on Frontier, considering he is well-off enough to afford more expensive options. So why did he do this? Before we get to that, let’s see the blowback Frontier Airlines has been receiving.

The airline company has been downgrading its ranking over the past few years. In 2021, Frontier Airlines was ranked 6th; however, by 2023, it slipped to 8th, and in 2024, it has fallen to the bottom of the WSJ’s table. Well, this should be not a surprise that the airline has a bad reputation especially because the fans reacting to Khabib’s mistreatment unanimously echoed the same sentiment.

According to some frequent travelers,  the Airline has a reputation for having a high number of add-on fees for basic amenities like carry-on luggage, seat selection, and even water, making the initial ticket price seem deceptively low. In addition to that, there have been multiple complaints about a lack of empathy for the travelers as well as hospitality. Interestingly, Ali Abdelaziz even warned Khabib Nurmagomedov about the airlines.

Ali Abdelaziz warned Khabib Nurmagomedov about Frontier Airlines

Ahead of UFC 311, Ali Abdelaziz sat down with the media where he was questioned about his opinion on the event to which the star manager stated that he warned his client about the bad ratings of the airlines.

“His friend was having a trip to San Francisco, and they already booked the flight and he didn’t want to make them feel bad and take a different airline. We all know Khabib is a very humble guy and didn’t want to make the friend feel bad. [Khabib] just booked a flight and went with them and I warned him, I said, ‘This is a s**t airline.’ He’s like, ‘It’s okay, I don’t care.’ And he just went there to be with his friends,” said Abdelaziz.

He further added, “I think these people need to apologize. I think he deserves an apology. It’s not like he needs one, but I think these people need to apologize to him.” Well, instead of apologizing, the airlines have partially shifted the blame to the former champ and now getting the heat of the fans. Regardless, what’s your take on the hubbub? State your thoughts in the comments below.