Civil jury in Ireland says McGregor sexually assaulted woman

A jury has ruled in favor of a woman who accused UFC superstar Conor McGregor of sexually assaulting her in a hotel room in December 2018.

The High Court in Dublin ordered McGregor to pay the complainant 248,000 euros, or about $257,000.

The jury had heard the case since Thursday. McGregor, who denied the allegations and said he had sex with the accuser, is not currently facing any criminal charges from the incident.

According to Irish national broadcaster RTÉ, the woman told the High Court that she met McGregor at a Christmas party in Dublin. She accused the former UFC two-weight champion of forcing her onto a bed, choking her and making her fear for her life. A paramedic who treated the woman’s injuries the next morning told the courtroom he had never seen such intense bruising on a victim, according to BBC News.

The woman’s lawyer said she never pretended to be a saint and had gone out looking for a good time that turned into a nightmare. Attorney John Gordon said McGregor was angry over a fight he had lost in Las Vegas two months earlier and was taking it out on his client.

“He’s not a man, he’s a coward,” Gordon told jurors. “A sneaky coward and you should treat him for what he is.”

The woman had to take several breaks in her emotional testimony when she said McGregor threatened to kill her during the meeting.

McGregor put her in a chokehold several times and later told her, “Now you know how I felt in the Octagon, where I got knocked out three times,” referring to an Ultimate Fighting Championship when he had to concede defeat, she said.

She said she feared she would die and never see her daughter again.

“He let me go and I remember saying I was sorry as I felt I did something wrong and I wanted to assure him I wouldn’t tell anyone so he wouldn’t hurt me again,” she said. She said she then let him do what he wanted and he had sex with her. Police investigated the woman’s complaint, but prosecutors declined to press charges, saying there was insufficient evidence and a conviction was unlikely.

McGregor said the two had sex that was athletic and energetic, but not hard. He said “she never said ‘no’ or stopped” and testified that everything she said was a lie.

“It’s a complete lie among many lies,” he said when asked about the chokehold claim. “How could anyone think that as a proud person I would highlight my shortcomings.”

McGregor’s lawyer told jurors they had to override their will against the fighter.

“You may have an active dislike for him, some of you may even loathe him – there’s no use pretending the situation could be any different,” said lawyer Remy Farrell. “I’m asking you not to invite him to Sunday brunch.”

In the end, the jury of eight women and four men ruled on his version of events.

The UFC did not immediately respond to a request for comment. McGregor has not fought since breaking his leg in a TKO loss to Dustin Poirier in July 2021. He was scheduled for a highly anticipated return against Michael Chandler at UFC 303 in June, but pulled out in the weeks leading up to the event with an injured toe . He’s been teasing the “greatest comeback” in sports history for years. He is 1-3 in his last four appearances, dating back to 2018.

McGregor has four children with his longtime fiancée, Dee Devlin.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.