Former Bellator MMA featherweight title challenger Sinead Kavanagh is in legal trouble after she was arrested earlier this week following an incident on a Ryanair flight about to depart from Spain to her native Ireland.
Kavanagh was on board the plane, which was scheduled to travel from Gran Canaria, Spain, to Dublin, Ireland, on Monday evening when the incident occurred. In video footage circulating online, Kavanagh is seen in a physical altercation with two Guardia Civil officers.
Footage shows Kavanagh punching officers in a scuffle, although the short clip does not show how the altercation broke out.
Video footage of the incident involving Irish MMA fighter Sinead Kavanagh.
Spanish police boarded a Ryanair flight from Gran Canaria to Dublin earlier this week. pic.twitter.com/83X5W9dNgm
— Kirk_Loco (@TezTruth81) November 26, 2025
A report of the Spanish language Atlantic Ocean today claimed the takeoff was delayed due to the fighter, which reportedly showed a “violent attitude” towards crew members.
When the vigilante arrived to remove Kavanagh from the plane, things took a physically violent turn.
Kavanagh was taken into custody but later released on a “provisional release” following a court appearance the following day in Telde, Spain. The incident is still under investigation.
Sinead Kavanagh has not yet publicly commented on the matter.
Kavanagh (9-7), a member of SBG Ireland alongside Conor McGregor and Gunnar Nelson, challenged for the 2021 Bellator women’s 145-pound title and lost via knockout at the hands of Cris Cyborg. The 39-year-old last competed in the competition in June 2024, when she was submitted by fellow Bellator alumni Arlene Blencowe.
Kavanagh scored notable victories over Olga Rubin, Katharina Lehner, Janay Harding, Leah McCourt and UFC vet Zarah Fairn dos Santos.
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