An airline booting a passenger is a regular occurrence now, but when American Airlines realized the man they’d just removed was a well-known UFC star, their apology came with a significant price tag. For those who don’t already know, on April 16, while on their way from Los Angeles to Philadelphia for his wrestling match at RAF 8, the airline removed Arman Tsarukyan and three members of his team from a flight. The reason? The airline claimed he and his friends weren’t following crew instructions. Absolutely livid, the Armenian booked a private jet and blasted the staff online for their rude behavior. However, after being kicked off, once the airline realized who he was, they swiftly offered him an upgrade.

“You know what happened next?” Tsarukyan told Adam Zuybaraev. “When we got off, and the plane started taking off, people started taking photos with me. And they [American Airlines] realized I’m famous, they apologized, ‘Our team had made a mistake. We’ll rebook your flight in a business class.’ I say, ‘There’s my flight taking off, stop that one’. She says, ‘We can’t do it.’” 

Arman Tsarukyan originally boarded economy class on American Airlines, which typically costs around $200-300 for a one-way ticket and around $400–500 for a round-trip from LAX to Philadelphia. But if he had traveled in business class, the ticket price could easily go over $1000, depending on demand and other factors. Still, the move by American Airlines reflects Tsarukyan’s growing popularity.

For most of his career, Tsarukyan has been regarded as a very talented fighter. But he wasn’t considered one of the biggest stars in the UFC compared to Islam Makhachev or Ilia Topuria. However, ‘Ahalkalakets’ worked on his presence to finally reach the status of a lightweight star, even without being champion. Honestly, much of that credit goes to his in-cage brilliance, but his activity on social media has also elevated his overall profile. So, it’s not surprising that they would issue an expensive apology. 

Beyond fighting in the UFC, Tsarukyan has been spending time with internet personalities like Nina Drama, Adin Ross, and Neon, which has helped bring him further into the public eye. Moreover, his recent RAF controversies, including the airline tussle, have pushed him into becoming a more widely recognized figure in the US. Tsarukyan now has over 5 million Instagram followers, well above two-time featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski’s 3.3 million. 

That said, even though Arman Tsarukyan received an apology from American Airlines, he nearly made an impulsive decision on the spot that could have made the situation even more complicated.

“In a perfect world, I kept sitting and told them, I’m not leaving the plane,” Tsarukyan added. “We should’ve made a drama. Then we’d have police and all that.”

To be fair, the Tsarukyan vs American Airlines saga was certainly an interesting build-up before his fight against Faber at RAF 8. After defeating Faber, the UFC lightweight star even used the situation to craft a cold callout. 

Arman Tsarukyan issues bold ‘Airlines’ callout after recent RAF 8 win

Arman Tsarukyan and Urijah Faber’s clash was originally set as the co-main event at RAF 8. However, after Merab Dvalishvili vs Henry Cejudo fell through due to ‘Triple C’s last-minute injury, the promotion shifted their grappling showdown to the main event. And that turned out to be the best call they could make because the bout delivered on all fronts.

Tsarukyan was already the bigger-framed man heading into the middleweight bout, and he used that to his advantage. There was even a moment during the grappling exchange when the Armenian pushed Faber off the mat, and he went flying over the commentary table where UFC veteran Chael Sonnen was seated. In the end, the UFC lightweight star won the fight via technical fall and issued a bold callout to his next adversary, inspired by his feud with American Airlines.

“Who wants to take the next flight out?” Tsarukyan posted on Instagram, alongside pictures of him slamming Faber.

After the standout victory, it seems Tsarukyan will get even bigger opponents. And who knows? He might even have a friendly bout with his teammate Khamzat Chimaev, who has recently signed with RAF.

With his profile soaring after a high-profile win and a public spat with an airline, Tsarukyan’s next move will be his most significant yet.