After being found liable for a 2018 sexual assault in a civil trial held in Dublin, UFC superstar Conor McGregor has taken a few additional public hits, but the Irish star has now broken his silence.
McGregor took to X, formerly Twitter, to again claim innocence in the assault of Nikita Hand, to whom the jury awarded roughly $258,300. McGregor took responsibility for cheating on his longtime partner Dee Devlin with Hand but maintained his stance that the situation was consensual.
“People want to hear from me, I needed time,” McGregor wrote. “I know I made mistakes. Six years ago, I should have never responded to her outreaches. I should have shut the party down. I should never have stepped out on the woman I love the most in the world. That’s all on me.
“As much as I regret it, everything that happened that night was consensual and all the witnesses present swore to that under oath. I have instructed my legal team to appeal the decision.”
McGregor then turned his attention to claims that he would return to the UFC Octagon, where he has not fought since back-to-back 2021 losses to Dustin Poirier.
“I can’t go back and I will move forward,” McGregor wrote. “I am beyond grateful to my family, friends and supporters all over the world who have stayed by my side. That’s it. No more. Getting back to the gym — the fight game awaits!”
In the wake of the jury’s decision, McGregor has seen some outside-the-cage interests take a hit in response.
Video game developer IO Interactive announced that they will pull all sales of content featuring McGregor, who appeared in the popular “HITMAN World of Assassination” featuring his likeness and voiceover work.
Similarly, major Irish retailers such as Tesco, SuperValu, Centra, Costcutter, Carry Out, BWG Foods and others have all made the decision to stop stocking Proper No. Twelve Irish whiskey, the brand which McGregor sold to Proximo Spirits in 2021 but which still featured McGregor in its branding and marketing, and Forged Irish Stout, which McGregor owns.
Promixmo Spirits has since released a statement claiming, “Going forward, we do not plan to use Mr. McGregor’s name and likeness in the marketing of the brand.”
McGregor has stated that he instructed his legal team to appeal the recent court decision.
