Why Was UFC Champ Khabib Nurmagomedov Kicked Off His Flight?
Khabib Nurmagomedov is one of mixed martial arts’ (MMA) biggest stars. The former UFC Lightweight champion was a dominant force in the cage, retiring undefeated in 2021. These days, Nurmagomedov remains in the sport, coaching Islam Makhachev, the current holder of the UFC’s Lightweight belt.
Yet this isn’t all the fighter is in the news for. On Sunday, Khabib Nurmagomedov made headlines after being escorted off a flight:
While the motives behind this and the full story remains somewhat unclear, that hasn’t stopped the internet going into overdrive about the event.
Social media was a hive of activity when the story broke, with people online creating memes and sharing hot takes about the Khabib Nurmagomedov plane incident. Rather than looking directly at the event itself though, this piece is focused on that reaction, and what it says about the internet’s relationship to celebrity.
What Happened With Khabib Nurmagomedov On The Flight—And How Has The Internet Reacted?
The video circulating on social media (copied above) shows the dispute between Nurmagomedov and a member of staff at Frontier Airlines. They tell the ex-UFC fighter that flight attendants won’t “allow [him] to sit in the exit row,” and he’ll either have to move seats or will be escorted off the plane.
After Khabib Nurmagomedov seemingly refuses to move, a supervisor is called and the UFC star leaves the plane peacefully.
In a post on X/Twitter, Nurmagomedov broke down what happened, stating the person from Frontier Airlines he dealt with was “very rude from the beginning” and he was unsure about exactly why he was removed from his seat, questioning whether it was related to his race or nationality.
Once Khabib Nurmagomedov exited the plane, he explains that he boarded another flight 90 minutes later to his final destination and had no further issues.
Despite the peaceful ending, the online world has gone into a mixture of uproar and amusement about Nurmagomedov’s situation, all shown by a variety of reactions on social media.
One of the most common type of posts about the plane incident is how Khabib, a world-class athlete, would’ve actually been among the most capable people on the flight if an emergency did occur:
Others questioned whether or not the decision to remove the UFC star from his seat was driven by prejudice:
Next to these posts that are the ones that make light of the experience Khabib Nurmagomedov had on the plane.
A common theme of these were a sort of faux-concern about whoever had to deal with the ex-fighter:
So far, these posts have been viewed millions of times—and the varied reaction says something interesting about how the online world views and interacts with celebrity.
What The Memes And Online Reaction To Khabib Nurmagomedov Being Removed From A Flight Say About The Internet
There were two broad reactions to the Nurmagomedov plane story: horror and amusement.
One of the key elements at play in this video is powerlessness. At the time of writing, it’s still unclear precisely why Khabib Nurmagomedov is being removed from his seat.
We’re witnessing a company using its power to remove an individual from a service they’ve paid for, without any clear reasoning.
While this is likely to be clarified in the future, those who watch the video don’t have any further context beyond what they’re seeing. That means, to most observers, the action seems inequitable and opaque.
Khabib Nurmagomedov does nothing visibly wrong, and is therefore asked to leave the plane for no logical reason.
Khabib says himself this is “unfair,” and it’s something we can observe while watching the video, causing an innate negative reaction.
Studies reveal that while we feel pleased at fair treatment, we have a “disgust or protest response to unfairness.” When we see something we deem as wrong, such as Khabib Nurmagomedov being removed from a plane, a regular emotional response is anger.
Combined with suggestions of prejudice—another form of unfairness—this goes some way to explaining the internet’s irate reaction to the event.
Another aspect though is tied to humanity’s relationship with celebrity. Celebrities and public figures can have a huge amount of influence over society, with many papers examining how famous people can use their power to sway even political systems.
Beyond this, research shows that humans “follow the lead of high-status, high-prestige individuals” in social situations.
In other words, humanity as a whole looks up to celebrities, subconsciously seeing them as different and above to regular people. This gives many the false impression that public figures can escape the drudgery and unfairness of regular life, it’s one reason why 53% of US adults believe they’d like to be famous.
This video of Khabib Nurmagomedov being escorted off a plane without a clear reason flies in the face of this. Here, one of the most dominant combat athletes of all time, a fighter with over 38 million followers on Instagram alone, was treated in a way that most viewers would characterize as wrong.
Yet, despite his fame and prestige, it still happened.
This creates a sense of cognitive dissonance, where we believe celebrities should be exempt from the trials and tribulations of everyday life, but, instead, we see a video of one being treated badly.
The gap between these two states causes some to react in anger at both the dissonance and the unfairness, but others to make memes that elicit laughter.
Humor is a helpful tool in dealing with tension and stress, so making jokes about an incident that can help manage the feelings of cognitive dissonance and helplessness news like this can elicit. To put that another way, it can make a serious story feel more relaxed, or soothe the tension of unfairness running throughout it.
Ultimately, the internet’s reaction to Khabib Nurmagomedov being removed from a plane shines a light on how people view celebrities, and how that perspective can be broken when we have access to personal moments that are usually shielded.
While time will reveal precisely what happened with Nurmagomedov, let’s just be grateful none of us had to escort him from that flight.
