MMA Star Tex Johnson Removed After Turbulent LaGuardia Flight Showdown
Hi, I’m Jaden Patel and let’s all take a moment to pretend we’re surprised that an MMA fighter turned a routine flight into an audition for the circus. In a scene that feels ripped from a low-budget reality show, Aaron “Tex” Johnson, the 39-year-old middleweight contender, was escorted off a Southwest Airlines flight at LaGuardia Airport after an on-board meltdown caught on video.
This mid-air drama unfolded Monday morning when Johnson retrieved his bag from the overhead bin and then, for reasons unknown, decided the cabin crew had crossed an unspoken line. Surveillance footage shared by TMZ shows Johnson screaming accusations of “assault” and “abuse” at a flight attendant who was simply trying to enforce routine airline policy. Witnesses say Johnson warned her repeatedly not to touch him, turning the aisle into a verbal battlefield.
Southwest Airlines, via a company spokesman quoted by TMZ Sports, described Johnson’s conduct as “belligerent and unruly behavior that we do not tolerate.” After several attempts to calm him down, crew members had no choice but to remove him from the aircraft. Passengers were left bewildered as the fighter trudged down the jet bridge, still arguing about an overhead bag disagreement and a chorus of “peanut gallery” hecklers.
The story continued even after Johnson deplaned. A second clip shows him at a nearby gate, restrained on a stretcher and launching into an expletive-filled tirade. “Bullshit! I’m getting treated like a black person right now!” he yelled, sparking gasps and more chaos in the terminal. Port Authority Police say he was taken to a local hospital for evaluation and later issued a summons for disorderly conduct.
Johnson, a three-time IBJJF Pan American No-Gi Champion, holds a professional MMA record of 13-10 with one no contest. Just days after the incident, the fighter addressed the fiasco in an Instagram chat, admitting it all started over “something about a bag that I didn’t agree with and a bunch of peanut gallery people yelling first.”
This is not Johnson’s first brush with headlines, but it might be his most public display of in-flight theatrics. Video of the altercation has gone viral, leaving fans and critics alike wondering what pushed him over the edge at 30,000 feet.
Expect this tale to evolve as we learn more from Southwest’s internal report and any potential charges stemming from the incident. Stay tuned for updates on whether Tex Johnson will face any athletic commission repercussions or if he’ll simply chalk this up to another wild chapter in his fight career.
Well, there you have it. Humanity at its finest.
Sources: Celebrity Storm and TMZ, TMZ Sports, Port Authority Police
Attribution: Creative Commons Licensed
