Coach: 'Khabib Nurmagomedov was racially profiled'

Video of former UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov being removed from a Frontier Airlines flight went viral on Sunday.  The 36-year old retired fighter was seated in the emergency exit row but was asked to move.  A flight attendance was concerned with Nurmagomedov's ability to effectively communicate in English in the event of an emergency.  

Nurmagomedov left the plane without incident and took a later flight to his destination.  His coach, Javier Mendez, believes Nurmagomedov was 'racially profiled.'  

"He didn't say nothing to me.  I didn't hear nothing.  This happened last week when he was coming back from Utah, either going to Utah or coming from Utah from skiing," Mendez told Submission Radio.  "They didn't say anything to me.  They're very quiet about it, so I would think that Khabib didn't think much of it.  But the whole world is thinking a lot of it because they racially profiled him, one-million percent."

"They racially profiled him because he was wearing a hoodie and they were uncomfortable with him wearing a hoodie.  But you know why he was wearing a hoodie because he's a super famous athlete in the world and he doesn't want to be recognized," Mendez continued.  

Mendez believes an injustice was done but he also knows that Nurmagomedov will not pursue any action against the airline. 

"I know him.  He's not going to do nothing about it, but I think people that love him or love justice are going to be up in arms about this," Mendez said.  "It's outrageous.  The should be held accountable.  

"I feel that they should donate money to the victims of the L.A. fire of a generosity of goodwill and the whole bit.  Khabib is not going to be too bother by it because he's a man of God.  He's just going to look at it like if Allah wanted him to be in that plane then he would have been in that plane, so he'll just take it in stride.  I don't think Khabib will even talk about it, but it's not a matter of Khabib talking about it.  It's a matter of us talking about the racial injustice that goes on in this world and those things should never happen."