Conor McGregor Lost The Case In Civil Court, But Is He Done?

Turns out that being coked-up, (allegedly) mobbed up, and rapey is not a good way to go through life.

“Fame doesn’t sit very comfortably on anyone’s shoulders. But some people’s shoulders it doesn’t seem to sit on at all.” — Sir Mick Jagger

When he said that, Sir Mick wasn’t talking about Conor McGregor, but he might as well have been. I’ll have more to say about the nature of fame, power, and impunity after the paywall.

For those with no idea what I’m talking about, Conor McGregor recently lost a very high-profile civil court case regarding allegations of sexual assault. The Associated Press summed up the case fairly well:

A woman who claimed mixed martial arts fighter Conor McGregor “brutally raped and battered” her in a Dublin hotel penthouse was awarded nearly 250,000 Euros ($257,000) on Friday by a civil court jury in Ireland.

Nikita Hand said the Dec. 9, 2018, assault after a night of partying left her heavily bruised and suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.

McGregor testified that he never forced the woman to do anything against her will and said she fabricated the allegations after the two had consensual sex. His lawyer had called Hand a gold digger.

For those who’ve been following McGregor’s career, this is just one of several sexual assault allegations he’s faced.

But this time, there’s an actual judgment, a civil fine, and perhaps even actual consequences for Conor McGregor.

Luke Thomas interviewed Irish journalist Frank Greaney and answers many questions about the case.

Buckle Up, This Is Gonna Be A Mega Post

I will blog up the most important pieces of the Conor court case story.

Then, we’ll have a round-up of some key historical reports (including a Bloody Elbow classic that has been taken off the site by the new publisher but remains online) on Conor’s awful antics over the years.

We’ll also have a complete time-line of Conor McGregor’s career and scandals from a never-to-be-published book that I wrote in collaboration with Alexei Auld and Eugene S. Robinson.

Then I’ll have a short essay for the paying customers and tomorrow Zach Arnold will discuss what this means for the UFC as a business.

And yes this motherscratcher is going to be too long for email so you’ll just have to click through to get all the goodness.

Conor McGregor Career Time-Line

2013:

• Conor McGregor signs with the UFC.

2015:

• July: McGregor wins the UFC Interim Featherweight Championship by defeating Chad Mendes  and reportedly does 825,000 PPV buys.

• December: McGregor knocks out José Aldo in 13 seconds to unify the UFC Featherweight Championship  and reportedly does 1.2 million PPV buys..

• UFC reportedly generates close to $600 million in revenue.

2016:

• March: McGregor loses to Nate Diaz via submission, his first loss in the UFC and reportedly does 1.3 million PPV buys. 

• August: McGregor defeats Nate Diaz in a rematch by majority decision  and reportedly does 1.65 million PPV buys.

• November: McGregor wins the UFC Lightweight Championship by defeating Eddie Alvarez, becoming the first fighter in UFC history to hold titles in two weight classes simultaneously  and reportedly does 1.3 million PPV buys.

• Zuffa sells the UFC to a consortium led by WME-IMG (now known as Endeavor), Silver Lake Partners, Kohlberg Kravis Roberts, and MSD Capital for approximately $4.025 billion.  It marked a significant return on investment for the Fertittas, who purchased the organization for just $2 million in 2001.This was one of the largest sports acquisitions in history. Dana White remains as the president.

2017:

• Floyd Mayweather comes out of retirement to fight McGregor in a boxing match in August. Mayweather wins by TKO in the 10th round, and the fight becomes one of the top-grossing PPV events.The fight generates around 4.3 million PPV buys.

• McGregor's net worth sees a significant boost, largely due to the Mayweather fight.

• Endeavor's revenue reportedly exceeds $3 billion.

• McGregor pleads guilty to exceeding the speed limit in Rathcoole, County Dublin.

• McGregor gets involved in an incident at Bellator 187 in November where he jumps into the cage and confronts referee Marc Goddard.

2018:

• UFC signs a five-year, $1.5 billion broadcast deal with ESPN.

• McGregor and his associates attacked a bus containing UFC fighters in April at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. He's later arrested and charged with three counts of assault and one count of criminal mischief.

• McGregor loses to Khabib Nurmagomedov in October at UFC 229 for the UFC Lightweight Championship, reportedly does 2.4 million PPV buys. Post-fight, a brawl ensues involving both fighters' teams.

• McGregor pleads guilty to speeding in Kill, County Kildare. Fined €1,000 and disqualified from driving for six months.

2019:

• McGregor is arrested in Miami for allegedly smashing a fan's phone. In April he announces retirement from MMA. However, this retirement is short-lived. In October he faced another legal issue, this time in his native Ireland, over an alleged assault in a Dublin pub.

• Endeavor increases its stake in the UFC, owning the majority of the company.

• Endeavor, the parent company of UFC, files for an IPO but later withdraws it.

• McGregor launches Proper No. Twelve Irish whiskey.

2020:

• McGregor returns to the UFC in January and defeats Donald "Cowboy" Cerrone in just 40 seconds and reportedly does 1.35 million PPV buys.. In June he announces his retirement from fighting once again..

• UFC holds events despite the pandemic.

• McGregor tops Forbes' list of highest-paid athletes in 2021 with earnings of $180 million.

• McGregor held and questioned on the French island of Corsica for alleged indecent exposure and sexual assault at a bar. He spent two days in custody before authorities stated insufficient evidence for a criminal prosecution. 

2021:

• Endeavor goes public and includes the UFC in its portfolio.

• UFC 257, featuring McGregor vs. Poirier, reportedly does 1.5 million PPV buys. McGregor loses to Dustin Poirier by TKO.

• UFC 284, featuring McGregor vs Dustin Poirier in a trilogy fight, reportedly does 1.8 million PPV buys. McGregor loses by TKO due to a leg injury.

• McGregor accused  of unprovoked assault outside a Rome hotel.

2022:

• McGregor  arrested in Dublin and charged with six driving offenses, including two counts of dangerous driving, being uninsured, having no license, and failing to produce his documents.

• McGregor accused of physically assaulting a woman on his yacht in Ibiza, Spain, during his birthday celebration in July 2021. 

2023:

• McGregor attended the 2023 NBA Finals in Miami to promote his pain relief spray with a skit involving the Miami Heat's mascot, Burnie. After a scripted punch to Heat dancer Chris Brown inside the mascot, McGregor unexpectedly hit Brown again, leading to Brown’s hospitalization. The audience largely booed McGregor for his actions.

• McGregor accused of attempted rape at the Kaseya Center in Miami following Game 4 of the NBA Finals. 

2024:

• McGregor abruptly pulled out of the UFC 303 main even against Michael Chandler after suffering a toe injury.

• McGregor loses judgement in an Irish civil trial for sexually assaulting Nikita Hand

The Trial, The Verdict, Nikita Hand’s Statement

To start, pictures, thousands of words, etc:

And now let’s hear from a brave lady who’s just beat a bully, following this apropos introduction from Jonathan Snowden:

And a full-transcript out of respect for Nikita Hand’s comments:

I would like to start off by saying saying I'm overwhelmed by the support I have had from everybody.

First, I want to thank the Coan legal team and my three barristers John Gordon, Ray Boland, and Shan. They have been amazing from start to finish. I want to thank Mr Justice Alexander Owens, the jury, all the witnesses. I want to thank the doctors nurses and everyone at the sexual assault treatment unit and the hospital for looking after me especially my own Dr Frank Clark.

I want to thank the Rape Crisis Center, especially Clair who has been by my side throughout this entire period.

I want to thank all the guards and the ambulance crew. I want to thank all the women and men out there who have supported me throughout this trial.

For every person who who reached out to me, a letter, email, everything it hasn't gone unnoticed, thank you. I really appreciate it so much. I want to thank my partner, Gary, who has been so supportive for the last four years and has held my hand throughout this trial every day and every other day.

I want to thank my mom and all my family and friends. Lastly, I want to thank my daughter for who I'm most grateful. For she has given me so much strength and courage over the last 6 years throughout this nightmare to keep on pushing forward for justice. I want to show Freya and every other girl and boy that you can stand up for yourself if something happens to you no matter who the person is and justice will be served.

To all the victims of sexual assault, I hope my story is a reminder that no matter how afraid you might be to speak up, you have a voice, and keep on fighting for justice.

I know this has impacted not only my my life, my daughter’s, my family and friends tremendously and it's something that I'll never forget for the rest of my life.

Now that justice has been served I can now try and move on and look forward to the future with my family and friends.

After what have the last two weeks have been like what it is like finally to be believed. I have no words. It's unbelievable.

Yes, I do feel vindicated.

I’ll have Conor the shitbag rapist’s tweeted-and-deleted comment on the judgment later on in the story.

Up next is a major revelation that only came out after the trial was over.

The Horrifying Post-Trial Revelation

This evidence wasn’t allowed in the court room but was revealed after the trial.

“The plaintiff’s home was invaded by a group of men wearing balaclavas,” (Hand’s counsel John Gordon) said.

“The broke into the plaintiff’s bedroom, and were driven out by the plaintiff’s partner, who suffered a stab wound in the process. Her daughter was in the next room, sleeping.”

Gordon also told the court that the men broke windows in the front room before leaving.

“We are not laying that at the feet of the defendants or saying they have anything to do with that,” he added.

“We do make the claim that it was not an untargeted attack, [it] rose from supporters of the first named defendant [McGregor].

“It is related to the claim that she had to move out of the Drimnagh area.”

The judge asked whether the claim was being made that McGregor had anything to do with it, to which Gordon replied: “No, judge, it is an item of special damage.

“It related to her state of anxiety and her claim that she had to move from the Drimnagh area, as she has now done.”

Conor’s Testimony Cost Him The Case

Trent Reinsmith pointed me to this Irish Independent report on the key moment in the trial — which Conor’s high-priced legal team and world-class PR advisors had supposedly nearly won for him — but alas, our boy had to go and take the stand and reveal his true colors to the jury.

The mixed martial arts star was in the witness box, being asked why he hadn’t given his mobile phone to gardaí.

By all accounts, McGregor seemed aggravated by the line of questioning – his face had reddened and he was squinting his eyes as he eyeballed Ms Hand’s barrister.

Raising his voice, the 36-year-old said he wanted everything put before the court, including a statement by a taxi driver that she was “sucking his d**k in the back of the car”.

It was blurted out so viciously, amid a chorus of audible gasps and raised eyebrows, that the judge warned him to cool it.

“Restrain your comments,” Mr Justice Alex Owens, addressing McGregor, said.

The vitriolic outburst, one the witness had been building towards since the start of his cross-examination, was met with shock, in particular from the jury.

Seated across two rows on the left hand side of the courtroom, they looked on disdainfully, visibly aghast at what had just been said.

During a case that had many revealing moments, it was perhaps one of the most incisive moments of all.
…
During his time on the witness stand, spread over a day an a half, those ­present had been left both stunned and ­bewildered by what McGregor, ‘The Notorious’, had to say.

He sprung up from his seat, once his name had been called to testify, before making his way to the stand with the confident stride of a man who meant business.

As the back of the room, his ­entourage, American PR guru Karen Kessler, his father Tony and a few other hangers-on, watched on.
…

By the time McGregor had finished in the witness box, an uncomfortable, stunned silence had fallen over the court.

The jurors, all 12 of them, were visibly unimpressed. In the front row, where some of the female jurors were sitting, there was one in particular who struggled to hide her disdain.

Behind her, another juror sat, almost wound tight with anger, arms folded.

It all came to a head yesterday when the same jury – eight women and four men – sent word back they had reached a verdict.

MMA YouTubers React, MMA Media Plays Both Sides

Now let’s get to the commentary and analysis on the case.

True Geordie’s is the best take I saw about the case. I’m going to quote from him at length.

I should also mention that Luke Thomas did some fine work as did Ben Fowlkes, Chuck Mindenhall, and Petesy Carroll for The Ariel Helwani Show.

Ariel Helwani, of course, was busy defending himself against allegations of being in the tank for Jake Paul’s promotion company.

The MMA Guru was notably silent. That’s too bad because I’d like to hear from the unofficial voice of Conor McGregor dead-enders.

In the meantime, usual suspects MMA Fighting and TMZ are both-sidesing the case — after a goddamn judgment — in the interest of currying favor with McGregor, the UFC, and a stupid, sexist MMA fan base that wants to continue to insist on McGregor’s analyis.

True Geordie Lulls The Incels, Then Goes For The Kill

But let’s hear from Geordie, who sort of swerved me by spending the first minutes of his show detailing the some reasons to believe McGregor’s version of the story over Nikita Hands.

Once I saw the whole video, I realized he was using that as a rhetorical device to build the trust of red-pilled young male UFC fans who are inclined to never believe women and always excuse their heroes, no matter how heinous the behavior.

Then he proceeded to bury McGregor for once and for all.

True Geordie: When the verdict was read, Conor McGregor was visibly devastated and absolutely broken in that moment.

It's almost hard to imagine that, because he never shows any vulnerability or weakness or even just sort of a humble side of his personality.

As much as I've said I don't know if he did this or not this has been coming for Conor McGregor.

This is one of several accusations of several different crimes that Conor McGregor has been (accused) of in the last five years.

This isn't a one-off not even close. Of all the things he's been accused of over the years this is now different and I think he knows it.

Regardless of all of the the grey areas in the case and the the potential of his innocence all that matters is the headlines. That's what defines you when you're in the public eye.

People are not going to go through the entire case. No, they're going to look at the “Conor McGregor guilty” and where he's been able to sort of brush off any criticisms in the past this is a black mark on his name.

No matter how he plays off in the media. No matter how he tries to walk around with his head held high, it's going to be hard.

No one's going to give a fuck about his watches his suits and all of that shit. He's going to know that people are judging him behind their eyes.

[Geordie then plays an excerpt from video of the reporters greeting McGregor outside the courtroom]

Reporter: “Mr McGregor, you're a rapist. Do you say say sorry for what has happened? Do you have any reaction or apology to the woman at the center of this?

Geordie: Hell, man. Wow. I mean think about that.

That man just said it right in his face as all of them did: “You're a rapist. You're a rapist.”

Bloody hell that's with him forever now. That is one of the worst things a man can ever be called.

As much as Connor has never shown any weakness throughout all the criticism he's had over the years. He's just brushed it off with ‘you're all jealous.’

Look at the way the way they were on him.

This is something you can't ignore. That you can't brush off. This is going to be brutal for his life.

Geordie also quoted some of his Irish friends on Conor’s status in his home country:

‘McGregor is the worst of us Irish people. He's not a hero. He is a total and utter rat.’

Geordie: Now you know what the Irish people, my mates from Ireland have been telling me. His stock in Ireland has been low for years. It's hit rock bottom now. Oh it's hit rock bottom.

He also answered his own doubts about the case with reference to the medical testimony presented to the jury:

People will still say she's completely lying and I'm not suggesting that when I say that there's inconsistencies in a story, right? It's just way that the case is.

I honestly think that the injuries that she suffered must have been brutal for that jury to look at the entirety of this case and and still find in favor of her because of those inconsistencies (in her story).

The (physical) evidence must have been overwhelming.

Then he discusses the impact on Conor’s family:

It's not just about his battle really, it's his whole family. His parents have always seemed like really nice people. (They’ve) been very supportive of him from day one. They've been around him constantly throughout his career.

They have obviously been able to walk around with their head held high, proud of what their son’s achieved despite some of the criticism.

But now they will feel like people are judging them and their boy and it's a cross to bear for the entire family.

God only knows what his Mrs, Dee, is is going through because she came to court. God bless her to support him, despite the fact that this is happening because he cheated on her and she stuck by him through all sorts of shit.

I mean there's so many videos of this guy with other women, pictures with other women. There's a mountain of them.

She seems like a damn good woman and this must be bloody hard for her. I mean obviously not as hard as the actual victim, because fuck me, God knows what she's been going through.

Then he gets down to brass tacks:

You' got to wonder how is this going to impact him as a businessman, because despite McGregor being a complete dick for years, he's still been able to generate huge amounts of money.

(Regarding his alcohol brands) The Proper 12, the Forged Irish Stout… people are already taking the piss out of him and going Improper 12 and Forced Irish Stout that shit matters, the branding of (those properties).

What if pubs are going to say, ‘No, we don't want to sell his stuff anymore. He's been guilty of this so fuck him.’

That might happen this could hit him so much deeper in the pocket than his payout to Nikita and even (losing) his UFC relationship.

And finally he wraps up with a personal testimony about what Conor McGregor used to mean to him and how he sees him now.

As someone who was a huge fan of Conor McGregor back in the day, I mean he was a genuine inspiration to me.

I remember looking at the things he used to talk about, about hard work and dedicating yourself and achieving your goals. He used to be a great talker inspirationally for young men.

It went from him winning multiple world titles and achieving all of his dreams and (everyone) seeing that. Everything he spoke became real and it was genuinely motivating.

Now he got everything he ever wanted and just became the biggest asshole fucking possible.

He went from being the person we all wanted to be like to the person that really none of us want to be like.

The guy is just barely even capable of being a respectful human being now.

The amount of shitty things he said to people. All these arrogant tweets he puts out. His attitude of (acting) as he's better than everyone else who walks the face of the Earth (despite) the countless accusations against him.

Life has a way of when people really need humbling, doing it in brutal fashion.

As I've said McGregor might not be completely guilty of the exact story this girl has told but regardless of the matter this man has been a shit show of a human for a long long time and something like this was coming down the pipeline for a long time.

I am not shocked in the slightest.

He is his own worst enemy.

Conor McGregor Can’t Stop Tweeting Stupid Shit

Now it’s time to hear from this awful person directly. Since Conor deleted it, I’m not sure if it still counts as an official statement or not. Whatever. Here it is.

I will be appealing today’s decision. 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.

And then he couldn’t resist taking the bait and replying to some trolling from Jake Paul (again this shit got deleted so no link):

Jake Paul: Dana hits his wife. Conor's a rapist. But I'm the bad guy?

Conor McGregor: No you're a little gay nerd.

Dumbest of all, McGregor Tweeted and deleted the following (via Danny Boy):

Two men falsely accused. One vindicated, the other soon to be! Congrats James Lawrence on absolute exoneration! Twice this heinous accusation was put to you and twice it was shown as FALSE! LIES! It is absolutely disgraceful what they put you through here. Disgraceful! I look forward to seeing you further vindicate yourself and lambast those responsible in court! We know what happened that night! Everyone present knows, yet it was ignored. Every single statement of persons persent on the night was ignored. And they all disputed Nikita’s LIES! However James they did believe you but just in certain parts for some strange reason. And they apparently did not believe Danielle Kealy at all. Laughable! Also with the damages (60K and 188K, interesting choice of figures) it seems they didn’t believe Nikita much either. How could they, her original story was she was gang raped by security and chased from the hotel on foot. Absolute nonsense. How these lies were accepted, I will never know. A court of feeling and opinion, brainwashed in to people via the main stream media. Not of fact! The reporting in court a laughing stock ot everyone present. As clear as day bias. This is not a court of hard evidence and truth. It is a kangaroo court of opinions and feelings We are not done yet. Not by a long shot. No chance. On we fight! Justice and truth will prevail! Appeal! Appeal! Appeal! As well as other. Congrats James! Onwards and upwards!

More on Conor McGregor’s Shady Connections and Twisted History

Just a little bit more background because I can’t resist sharing two old favorites that provide essential context on McGregor and also some catharsis.

I’ve got to link to this lost Bloody Elbow classic by Tim Bissell from 2018 which is available via the miracle of the Way Back Machine:

GRV Media took this piece offline when they bought BloodyElbow.com but the Wayback Machine still has it.

The video below featuring a visibly stoned Jon Fitch and self-described conspiracy theorist and right-wing extremist Jason Bermas is brutal reprise of McGregor’s conduct whose sheer hateful bravura is worth the cognitive dissonance my more liberal friends might experience when viewing content unapproved by Rachel Maddow, the big tech oligarchs, and the neo-con war machine.

After the jump, I’ll share my thoughts on what fame and fortune, drugs and alcohol, and not-quite-infinite amounts of impunity did to the biggest star MMA has ever produced.