Overview
- Tsarukyan and three companions were removed Thursday at LAX after crew said they refused to stay seated while the plane was taxiing, American Airlines said.
- Video showed him being escorted off, a journalist cited phone and tray-table use, and Tsarukyan later said a tense exchange over an empty seat preceded the crew’s instructions.
- After deplaning, he chartered a private jet and said he would reach Philadelphia in about five hours to compete at Real American Freestyle 08 at Temple’s Liacouras Center.
- Hours before the event, Henry Cejudo withdrew, elevating Tsarukyan vs. Urijah Faber to the main event, and Tsarukyan won by technical fall on a 13–1 scoreline.
- Former champion Daniel Cormier urged Tsarukyan to avoid further off-field incidents, warning that such episodes could jeopardize his near-term bid for a UFC lightweight title shot.