Joe Rogan’s Passionate Reaction to Khabib Being Removed From Flight

Joe Rogan has reacted to the scandal that Khabib Nurmagomedov unfortunately caught himself in the middle of earlier in the week. The Russian was travelling to California to support Islam Makhachev ahead of his lightweight title defence against Arman Tsarukyan at UFC 311, but the flight wasn’t as straight forward as the former lightweight champion would have hoped for.

The Eagle boarded the flight and was situated in an exit row seat. However, viral footage has shown Khabib and onboard flight staff disputing the fact that the UFC Hall of Famer was suitable to sit in the exit row seat. The 29-0 undefeated fighter was eventually removed from the flight after Frontier Airlines staff requested him be escorted off the plane by security. Makhachev’s cornerman then had to wait another 90 minutes before boarding a separate flight on a different airline.

Joe Rogan recently reacted to the incident on his podcast, getting rather animated and passionate in his response.

Rogan said: “Isn’t that crazy? Some lady came up to Khabib when he was on the flight because he was in the escape row. There’s a video of it. It’s crazy! He’s telling her, ‘I can do this. I understand English. I can speak English’. And they kick him off the f****** plane. Bro, it’s crazy!”

The UFC commentator then went on to defend Khabib, stating: “I wish I was on that plane… Maybe she thinks Jon Jones is the GOAT and doesn’t like this Khabib talk. She’s like, ‘F*** off, I’m a Jon Jones fan’. The GOAT talk is between those two. It’s really crazy when you watch it… He was calm and respectful. He obviously speaks English, and he said, ‘I’ll assist. I’ll open the door’. People are crazy.

“Wouldn’t you love to be on that flight and go, ‘Ma’am, do you know who that is? Let me tell you who that is. Let me Google him really quick’. Can you imagine if she did that in Dagestan? They’d throw her in a hole.”

Khabib & Frontier Statements

Both the fighter and the airline have released statements regarding the incident

Since the event, both Khabib and Frontier Airlines have released contrasting statements.

Khabib stated: “The lady who came to me with questions was very rude from the very beginning, even though I speak very decent English and can understand everything and agreed to assist, she still insists on removing me from my seat. What was the base for that, racial, national, or other one, I’m not sure.”

While the airline said: “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 Nurmagomedov, who was seated in an exit row, was asked multiple times if he was willing and able to assist in the event of an emergency. According to the flight attendant, Mr. Nurmagomedov did not respond, despite repeated attempts, which placed him in non-compliance with FAA requirements. The flight attendant informed Mr. Nurmagomedov that he could be moved to a different upgraded seat or exit the plane.”