Conor McGregor has taken the world of MMA to new marketing and thematic heights. His fights are often some of the most intense and he isn’t afraid to stir the pot to say the least.
It has resulted in him becoming one of the most controversial and popular fighters the sport has ever seen. However, no group of fans are as intense or passionate about McGregor than those from his native Ireland.
As McGregor preps for a huge fight with Jose Aldo with unification of the featherweight championship belt on the line, some 10,000 Irish fans are making the trek to Las Vegas to cheer on their national hero.
One flight from the Emerald Isle apparently was a bit too much fun though, as Irish Central is reporting one flight had to be returned to JFK after a drunken mess of a brawl broke out on a Jet Blue flight destined for Vegas.
JetBlue 611, New York-Las Vegas, has returned to JFK due to an unruly passenger. https://t.co/KIxrmA7R2k #B6611 pic.twitter.com/JdKOJ8yqSI
— Flightradar24 (@flightradar24) December 11, 2015
This wasn’t the first sign of trouble for the flight crew though, as the fans from Ireland had a bit of fun during the safety procedures announcement. Allegedly, one lad took up an “Ole! Ole! Ole!” chant during that time and it delayed takeoff of the flight from JFK.
One passenger took to Facebook to vent his frustration:
“Seriously pissed off here. Got delayed at JFK because every time the flight attendant tried to read out the safety procedures onboard the aircraft this drunk Irish fella kept singing Ole Ole Ole & Oggy oggy oggy.
“So flight crew call the cops and your man gets escorted off the plane. [Cause] we missed our cue to set off we had to taxi on the runway for ages before we got a slot to take off.
“Then we eventually get going, about 25 mins into a 5 and a half hour flight, these other two Irish lads start kicking off at each other.
“Got very heated and one guy despite everyone on the plane shouting at him to sit down, struck out and threw a few slaps at the other lad.
“Flight crew go mad, separate the two fellas and now we are on our way back to JFK again!”
McGregor isn’t one to back down to authority, often times butting heads with UFC president Dana White. So, should it be surprising that his fans are just as rowdy and unpredictable?
Then again, it also begs the question of how drunk idiots were even allowed on the plane in the first place. Last I checked, drunkenness was easy grounds for barring someone from a flight although the amount of bars at airports and accessibility on planes probably doesn’t help the cause.
For the Irish fans who could hold their beer and liquor, another delay in a long journey to get from the Emerald Isle to the Vegas strip was just made longer for no good reason.
