RESTRAINED AND DETAINED

MMA Champion Arrested for Attacking Police Officers on Flight

A woman believed to be MMA champion Sinead Kavanagh was detained after an on-board incident left officers injured.

Irish MMA fighter Sinead Kavanagh was reportedly arrested on board a Ryanair flight from Gran Canaria to Dublin after getting into a fight with two Spanish police officers. Spain’s Civil Guard responded to reports of “violent behaviour” from Kavanagh, 39, who is alleged to have “repeatedly struck” two officers while resisting arrest on board the aircraft. She was eventually restrained and detained at the airport’s holding cell. The five-time MMA champion and friend of Conor McGregor has since been released on bail following a court hearing on Monday. Footage of the incident shows police called to remove two “troublesome” women from the flight, only to become embroiled in a tussle with Kavanagh and her companion. The fighter can be seen aggressively resisting arrest and hitting the officers several times, leaving them with injuries severe enough that one needed time off work to recover. “Don’t do this, please!” a woman can be heard screaming during the scuffle. In a statement, the Unified Association of Civil Guards (AUGC) wrote, “Two Civil Guards injured after containing a professional MMA fighter. We’re the only defence for citizens, and we are up against professionals who fight with their bare hands and WITHOUT RESOURCES.” A Civil Guard spokesperson refused to confirm the identities of the two passengers, but confirmed arrests had taken place following “a tussle with officers.”