Earlier today, ex-UFC champ Cody “No Love” Garbrandt posted two videos to Instagram documenting an argument between himself and different employees on a Southwest plane before takeoff. Beginning with, according to Garbrandt, the removal of his son from the plane due to not wearing a mask, the videos show the bantamweight chasing a flight attendant before arguing with another, then making his way into the cockpit to confront maskless pilots before leaving the plane himself.
In a statement to MMA Junkie, a spokesperson for Southwest responded to the incident. “We regret this family experienced any inconvenience during their travel. However, federal law requires Southwest to ensure every person age 2 and over to wear a mask at all times throughout a flight, including during boarding and deplaning. In this situation, the customers opted not to fly on Southwest, and they were offered a full refund of their tickets,” they said. Garbrandt has yet to comment further.
Scheduled to fight for the flyweight belt, a positive COVID test in October sidelined the former champion. With current champ Deiveson Figueiredo aimed to defend against Brandon Moreno at UFC 263, Garbrandt’s place in the conversation remains gray.
The JJT will follow this story as it develops.
