Irish MMA fighter Sinead Kavanagh was arrested in Spain after allegedly attacking two police officers on a Ryanair flight travelling from Gran Canaria to Dublin.
The incident took place on Monday evening, moments before the plane was due to depart.
Spanish outlet Atlántico Hoy reported that flight crew requested police assistance due to what they described as “violent behaviour.” The Civil Guard responded at around 7:30 p.m. local time and boarded the aircraft to remove two passengers.
Footage recorded by another traveller showed Kavanagh struggling with officers in the aisle as they attempted to restrain her. A woman in the background was heard shouting, “Don’t do this! Please!” as the confrontation escalated.
Sinead Kavanagh assault on police
✈️ ¡FUERA DE CONTROL!
La luchadora de MMA Sinead Kavanagh tuvo que ser desalojada de un avión en el Aeropuerto de Gran Canaria, pero no sin antes herir a dos agentes de la Guardia Civil que intentaban reducirla.
La atleta mostró un comportamiento agresivo antes del despegue… pic.twitter.com/AU46NdBcPA
— Fuerza Informativa Azteca (@AztecaNoticias) November 26, 2025
Police told The Sun that the pilot refused to fly with the passengers on board. “The pilot requested police presence because of two passengers who were causing problems,” a spokesperson said.
“Officers were going to identify them and take them off the plane because the pilot had decided they weren’t going to fly.”
Atlántico Hoy reported that Kavanagh “repeatedly struck” two officers during the struggle. She was detained and taken to a holding cell inside the airport.
One of the officers was later placed on medical leave, according to Canarias 7.
Kavanagh appeared in court in Telde on Tuesday and was released on bail. She remains under investigation for assaulting a police officer and resisting arrest.
The Unified Association of Civil Guards criticised the incident in a post on X.
They described the confrontation as “shameful” and complained about the lack of protective resources for officers handling violent passengers.
Kavanagh’s fighting background
Kavanagh, 39, is one of Ireland’s most established mixed martial artists.
She competes in the featherweight division of Bellator MMA and trains with SBG Ireland, the same team that produced Conor McGregor.
She last competed in Bellator earlier this year and remains a prominent figure in Irish combat sports. Spanish officials have not confirmed whether she is permitted to leave the country while the investigation continues.
