Conor McGregor Loses Appeal, Found Guilty in Civil Rape Trial

Conor McGregor on the way to the High Court in Dublin, Ireland. Photo: Reproduction/Twitter

At the same time that shares images of anti-doping tests and flirts with a return to the UFC, Conor McGregor continues to deal with legal problems. In a trial held this Thursday (31), the Irishman lost his appeal regarding the civil lawsuit filed by Nikita Hand, who accuses the fighter of having raped her in a hotel in Dublin, Ireland, in December 2018.

The three judges of the Court of Appeal dismissed all the arguments presented by the defense of Conor McGregor, which alleged an error in the jury instructions given during the original trial. According to the former UFC champion's lawyers, the judge allegedly instructed the jury to deliberate on "assault" instead of "sexual violence," which, they say, could have influenced the outcome.

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The Court, however, found that the ruling was clear in stating that Nikita Hand's central accusation was rape, and reinforced that there was no prejudice to the defendant in this regard. The appeal was unanimously rejected by the judges, upholding the previous decision, which found McGregor civilly liable and ordered the payment of approximately €248 in damages to the complainant.

McGregor was not present in court during Thursday's hearing. Nikita Hand attended and closely followed the verdict. In addition to upholding the conviction, the Court also ordered the case to be referred to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), who will assess the possibility of investigating witness tampering attempts by the fighter's defense.

The court ruling comes amid new evidence suggesting a possible return to the UFC for McGregor. In recent weeks, the Irishman has shared records of drug tests conducted by USADA and even suggested he would be fit to return to the Octagon as early as 2025. He has been out of action since suffering a fracture in his fight against Dustin poirier, in July 2021, the former featherweight and lightweight champion remains one of the most media-savvy names in the sport, but sees his image increasingly shaken by controversies outside the cage.