Ireland’s High Court has dismissed Conor McGregor’s efforts to appeal a civil sexual assault ruling against him. McGregor, a former two-division UFC champion, was found liable for sexual assault in November.
On Thursday, the High Court ruled against McGregor and dismissed the appeal on all grounds, according to the BBC. McGregor’s team presented several arguments in their appeal. McGregor’s lawyers argued that McGregor’s answers to police during interviews should not have been put before the jury. The Court of Appeal in Dublin found McGregor’s legal team did not prove “a real risk of unfair trial.”
McGregor’s legal team also asserted that a question on the “issue paper” given to the jury to help decide their verdict should have been worded differently. The paper asked jurors if McGregor had assaulted the victim, Nikita Hand. McGregor’s lawyers argued the note should have specified “sexual assault” rather than “assault.” The appeal judges said it was “simply unreal” to suggest any jury member was confused by the question.
The three senior judges dismissed the case “in its entirety.” McGregor was not present for the ruling.
McGregor released a statement on Friday, which he’s since deleted from Twitter. MMA Fighting preserved the full tweet.
“I fight on with the truth and will continue to defend myself,” reads part of McGregor’s much longer statement. “Ireland, amidst this SHAKE DOWN, don’t let it distract you. You can see what I am up against here and we knew this would always be the case.”
Hand also released a statement after the appeal, speaking to reporters outside the court.
“This appeal has retraumatized me over and over again, being forced to relive it, what happened has had a huge impact on me,” Hand said. “To every survivor out there, I know how hard it is, but please, don’t be silenced. You deserve to be heard, you also deserve justice. Today, I can finally move on and try to heal.”
In November, a jury ruled in favor of a woman accusing McGregor of attacking her in a hotel room. The case stemmed from a 2018 altercation. McGregor was ordered to pay 206,000 euros, approximately $235,000, in damages plus costs to Hand.
McGregor has not competed in mixed martial arts since July 2021. He suffered a broken leg in a TKO loss to Dustin Poirier in his last Octagon apperance. McGregor has expressed interest in fighting at a proposed UFC event at the White House in 2026.
