Overview
- An Irish civil jury found McGregor liable for sexual assault in November 2024 and ordered him to pay about $260,000 after two weeks of hearings, and his appeals were denied in 2025 up to the Irish Supreme Court.
- McGregor, who spoke at a UFC 329 media event Wednesday, reiterated his innocence, said he has cleaned up through faith, and acknowledged past alcohol and cocaine use around the time of the alleged 2018 incident.
- The complainant, Nikita Hand, testified that McGregor forced her onto a bed, choked her, and had sex with her against her will, and paramedic testimony describing Hand’s state after the incident was cited at trial.
- Irish authorities never pursued criminal charges in 2018, reflecting the legal difference that allows a civil judgment to stand without a criminal prosecution because civil cases use a lower burden of proof.
- McGregor’s return on Saturday to face Max Holloway is drawing reduced Irish support and sharp public scrutiny, a dynamic that could affect audience response, promotional fallout, and wider debate over how sports organizations handle athletes with civil findings against them.