CONOR MCGREGOR has been DROPPED by video game developer IO Interactive following the verdict in his civil rape case.
The UFC superstar was last week found liable to have assaulted a woman – Nikita Hand – at the Beacon Hotel in Dublin in December 2018.
McGregor, 36, was accused of “raping and battering” Ms Hand, an accusation he’s vehemently denied.
And the ruling at Dublin‘s High Court has prompted IO Interactive, the developers of the beloved Hitman video game series, to END their relationship with the Irishman.
A statement from Hitman’s official X account read: “In light of the recent court ruling regarding Conor McGregor, IO Interactive has made the decision to cease its collaboration with the athlete, effective immediately.
“We take this matter very seriously and cannot ignore its implications.
“Consequently, we will begin removing all content featuring Mr. McGregor from our storefronts starting today.”
IO Interactive has become the first brand associated with McGregor, who is a character in the ‘Hitman: World of Assassination’ game, to publicly cease relations with him following last week’s verdict.
Former two-weight world champion McGregor has been ordered to pay Ms Hand £206,000 (€250,000) in damages.
‘The Notorious’ shook his head before burying it in his hands after the jury deemed him liable of assaulting Ms Hand after just over six hours of deliberation.
FORMER UFC champion Conor McGregor was found to have assaulted a woman who accused him of raping her in a Dublin hotel, a civil court jury found on Friday.
The 36-year-old was accused of “brutally raping and battering” Nikita Hand in December 2018.
He will now have to pay Ms Hand 248,603.60 euros in damages.
Despite losing his case, McGregor has vowed to appeal.
The Irishman’s future in MMA and UFC is now in doubt. He hasn’t been in the octagon since July 2021 when he broke his leg and was stopped against Dustin Poirier.
Here’s what SunSport’s chief MMA reporter Chisanga Malata had to say about the situation…
“The ruling, which came in a civil court, not a criminal court, has given the UFC arguably its biggest-ever headache in its 31-year run. MMA chiefs will now have to make a major decision over their poster boy.
“Personally, I think he fights again. There is a precedent for it. Just look at the man who fought Jake Paul last week.
“Of course, I’m talking about former undisputed heavyweight champion Mike Tyson, who was sent to jail in the 1990s for rape. He came out and he had a successful career after that, making millions upon millions of pounds before retiring in 2005.
“Sadly, there is a precedent for it. But the UFC now has a massive decision to make. As I said, I think he fights again. I think they stick to the plan that was announced last week at the UFC 309 post-fight press conference and they have him fight late 2025.
“Perhaps they said late 2025 in anticipation of this ruling not going McGregor’s way and giving some time for this to blow over – even though something of this magnitude can never, ever blow over.
“I believe McGregor will fight again barring a sensational decision from Dana White and all the investors and they axe their poster boy. But I just don’t see that happening and I do see him returning to the octagon late next year.
“Questions will have to be asked of the UFC and rightly so. But more so of the man himself, Mr McGregor.”
He refused to speak to the media on his way out of the court with fiancee Dee Deviln but vowed to appeal the verdict on X shortly afterwards.
He wrote: “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.”
McGregor hasn’t set foot inside the UFC octagon since breaking his left leg in his trilogy fight with Dustin Poirier in July 2021.
