Sinead Kavanagh, a 39-year-old Irish MMA fighter, was arrested after attacking two police officers on a Ryanair flight from Gran Canaria to Dublin while the plane waited for takeoff. She refused to follow crew instructions and resisted officers who came to remove her.
Kavanagh spent the night in an airport detention cell and appeared the next day before a judge in a closed session. She was released on bail as the criminal investigation continues. Both officers injured in the scuffle had to take medical leave.
🇪🇸 Espagne : La combattante irlandaise de MMA Sinead Kavanagh a été arrêtée après avoir agressé 2 policiers espagnols, dans un avion Ryanair partant des iles Canaries pour Dublin, le 24/11.https://t.co/aRcfht9uCi pic.twitter.com/8Mel6wHqbs
— Franceat (@Franceatpresso2) November 26, 2025
The incident occurred after the cabin crew couldn't control Kavanagh's violent behavior, leading the pilot to call the police. Locally released videos show her struggling with officers in the aisle, with another woman who tried to intervene identified as the second passenger removed from the flight.
Kavanagh, from a Dublin suburb, won Ireland's boxing championship five times, competed with Katie Taylor at the 2021 World Championship, and later transitioned to MMA. She was ranked tenth worldwide in the women's featherweight division by Fight Matrix between 2021 and 2022.
