Arman Tsarukyan shares his side of American Airlines flight removal story

Arman Tsarukyan claims a request to move seats is what started the chain of events that led to him being kicked off an American Airlines flight Thursday.

UFC lightweight contender Tsarukyan went viral when footage surfaced online of him being removed from American Airlines flight 513 before departure from Los Angeles International Airport (LAX).

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A statement from the airline in response to the situation said it expects customers “to comply with crew member instructions while on board our aircraft, which include staying seated while the aircraft is taxiing.” Tsarukyan said he asked a flight attendant to move seats before takeoff, and when he was told to return to his assigned seat, sat elsewhere.

It escalated from there, Tsarukyan said.

“I had a team,” Tsarukyan said at Friday’s RAF 08 press conference prior to Saturday’s match vs. Urijah Faber. “There are 11 of us. We are getting in the plane and it was three empty seats. I asked the lady because my seat was next to my friend, and he’s a little bit big. I said, ‘OK, maybe there is an empty seat.’ I asked the lady, ‘Can I sit here?’ She didn’t say yes. She said, ‘Where’s your seat?’ I said, ’29A.’ She said, ‘Go there.’ I said, ‘Why are you rude?’ Then I sit in 30A because it was empty.

“Someone called to my friend and he picked up the phone and my other friend had opened the table. And she came and said, ‘Close your table.’ He said, ‘OK. OK, I’ll do that.’ Then someone called (my teammate) and he took the phone. Then all three of us got kicked out from the plane.”