THIS is the shocking moment a female Irish MMA fighter injures two Guardia Civil officers who had come to remove her from a Ryanair flight from Gran Canaria to Dublin.
Sinead Kavanagh, 39, was detained on Monday evening after cabin crew had requested police assistance when they were unable to calm her during boarding.
Footage shows the chaotic scene as a male and female officer attempt to restrain her and another woman who were sitting near the front of the aircraft.
At one moment the officers appear to usher Kavanagh to the door, before a violent surge hurls the four brawlers back into the cabin.
The MMA fighter can be heard screaming ‘Don’t do this to me!” and “What are you doing?” as she grappled with the officers in the narrow aisle.
The struggle appears to spill towards the galley as stunned passengers watch from their seats only a few feet away.
Kavanagh pushes and twists against the officers’ attempts to restrain her, using her strength to overpower them at several points during the confrontation.
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Local media reported that the aircraft’s pilot requested police support after crew were unable to deal with Kavanagh’s ‘violent attitude’.
Both Guardia Civil officers were left with injuries from tussling with the MMA fighter and have since taken time off work.
Kavanagh eventually was taken into custody after back-up arrived, spending the night in a police cell before facing a closed court hearing on Tuesday morning.
She has reportedly been released on bail pending an ongoing criminal investigation.
A Guardia Civil spokeswoman confirmed an arrest took place on the aircraft but declined to identify the detainee, describing the case as one of ‘disobedience towards a police officer’.
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She said there had been a tussle but insisted there had been ‘no assault as such’, contradicting earlier local reports that officers had been repeatedly struck.
A second passenger was removed from the flight but was not arrested.
It is not yet clear whether Kavanagh must remain in Gran Canaria as part of her bail conditions.
Kavanagh is one of Ireland’s best-known female fighters and has competed several times in Bellator.
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She is a former five-time national boxing champion, represented Ireland alongside Katie Taylor at the 2021 World Championships, and later switched to MMA.
She reached No 10 in the world at women’s featherweight during 2021 and 2022 and is a long-standing friend of Conor McGregor, who has publicly supported her career.
The Unified Association of Civil Guards (AUGC) criticised the absence of tasers and partitioned vehicles for detainees.
Kavanagh has not commented on the incident and has made no statement on her social media accounts.
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