A jury has found that the Irish martial arts fighter Conor McGregor assaulted a woman at a hotel in south Dublin in December 2018 and has ordered him to pay her nearly €250,000 in damages. McGregor faced an accusation that he had “brutally raped and battered” Nikita Hand, who is also known as Nikita Ni Laimhin. The fighter, who was once one of the highest-earning sports stars in the world worth a reputed $200m, told the court that Hand’s accusations against him were “full of lies” verging on “fantasy”. McGregor arrived in court with a large supporter and family contingent including his partner, Dee Devlin, his mother, Margaret McGregor, sister Aoife McGregor along with his boxing coach, Philip Sutcliffe, standing at the back just feet away from Hand. The fighter took his seat breathing deeply and audibly as Devlin and his mother held his hands while the verdict was being delivered.

Source: The Guardian November 22, 2024 21:38 UTC