UFC Star Conor McGregor Found Liable For Rape — Must Pay Victim More Than $250,000
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A civil court jury Friday found Ultimate Fighting Championship star Conor McGregor liable for raping a woman in a hotel in Dublin, Ireland in 2018.
As part of the verdict, the victim — Nikita Hand — was awarded the equivalent of about $257,000 in damages.
In court, Hand said she met McGregor at a Christmas party in Dublin. What initially began as a consensual encounter, she claimed, spiraled into a “nightmare” when McGregor allegedly forced her into bed and choked her.
During an emotional testimony, Hand also said McGregor threatened to kill her and put her in a chokehold multiple times. She added that McGregor also made reference to his most recent UFC loss, saying, “Now you know how I felt in the Octagon where I tapped out three times.”
McGregor maintained that the encounter was “athletic and vigorous, but not rough.”
“It is a full-blown lie among many lies,” he said. “How anyone could believe that me, as a prideful person, would highlight my shortcomings.”
Shortly after leaving the courtroom, McGregor released a statement confirming his intention to appeal the decision.
“I will be appealing today’s decision,” he said in a tweet. “The judge’s instruction and the modest award given was for assault, not for aggravated or exemplary damages. I am disappointed that the jury did not hear all the evidence that the DPP reviewed. I am with my family now, focused on my future. Thank you to all my support worldwide.”
The verdict comes roughly a year and a half after McGregor was accused of assaulting a woman in a bathroom of Miami’s Kaseya Center after an NBA Finals game.
