A worldwide sports energy drink fronted by Conor McGregor hangs in the balance after the UFC star was found to have assaulted a woman who accused him of rape.
Sports nutrition company Bucked Up is ‘evaluating our next steps’ in line with its ‘company values’ after Nikita Hand won her civil court case against the MMA fighter.
McGregor launched his ‘Notorious Buck’ energy drink in October, when he also became a brand ambassador for the firm through the partnership.
Bucked Up has a worldwide reach, including via Walmart and Amazon, and is the official energy drink for the Bare Knuckle Fighting Contest, of which the Irishman is a part-owner.
The US company is the latest known business to re-evaluate its links with McGregor, 36, nicknamed ‘The Notorious’, after Ms Hand won her claim at the High Court in Dublin on November 22.
She was awarded damages of 248,603.60 euros at the hearing, where she accused McGregor of raping her in a hotel penthouse.
A paramedic told the court she had not seen ‘someone so bruised’ in a long time when she examined Ms Hand the day after the attack.
Tesco and Ocado discontinued sales of ‘Proper No Twelve Irish Whiskey’, also promoted by the fighter, following the jury’s verdict.
And JD Wetherspoon has pulled his Forged Irish Stout from sale at all of its seven pubs in the Republic of Ireland.
A representative for Bucked Up said: ‘We are aware of the recent verdict in the legal matters involving Conor. We respect the legal process and its outcomes and recognise the complexity of the situation.
‘We are carefully considering all aspects of the situation and evaluating our next steps in alignment with our company values.
‘At this time, we have no further updates to share.’
Notorious Buck features an image of McGregor stripped to the waist and comes in Irish, apple and orange flavours. Workout supplements and apparel were due to follow through the partnership.
Founded in 2016, Bucked Up provides products available across 55,000 stores worldwide. Promoting the launch of his drinks range, McGregor said the collaboration was about ‘leaving the competition gasping for air.’
However the two-time belt holder is currently facing the drawback of his branded alcohol products from availability in the UK and Ireland, including by Tesco, Wetherspoon and M & S distributor Ocado.
A spokesperson for the pub chain said today: ‘Wetherspoon has taken the decision to remove the product, Forged Stout, in its pubs in ROI.’
Leading Irish retailer Musgrave has also said that McGregor’s products will be pulled from shelves. The network includes SuperValu, Centra, Daybreak and Mace. It is understood that other retail outlets including Costcutter and Carry Out will also stop stocking products linked to McGregor.
The entrepreneur and some of his business partners had sold their majority stake in the Proper Number Twelve Irish whiskey brand. He was reported to have been paid more than £103 million from the sale to Proximo Spirits in 2021. But he maintained an active role and remained the face of the brand, saying ‘Proper Twelve is my baby for life!’
Video game developer and publisher IO Interactive has announced that all content related to McGregor — who appears as an optional character in the most recent Hitman game — will be removed this week.
The launch page for McGregor’s energy drink has been removed from Bucked Up’s website, although it was still possible to place an order for a 12-pack of his orange-flavoured energy drink today.
The can bearing his fighter’s image and others associated with McGregor are not pictured in promotional images on the site.
In court, Ms Hand, 35, who has no automatic right to anonymity, told how he pinned her to a bed and raped her in the Dublin hotel in December 2018.
She said she ‘froze and couldn’t move or breathe’ during the attack and was at one point placed in a choke hold by McGregor.
Appearing as a witness, McGregor insisted he had consensual sex with Ms Hand and said ‘she never said no or stopped’.
Ms Hand, also known as Nikita Ni Laimhin, did not succeed with a case against another man, James Lawrence, who she accused of assaulting her by allegedly having sex without her consent at the same hotel.
Following eight days of evidence and three days listening to closing speeches and the judge’s charge, the jury spent six hours and 10 minutes deliberating before returning with its verdict.
McGregor has said on X that he has instructed his legal team to appeal the decision and his fiancée Dee Devlin has vociferously defended him in social media posts while lashing out at Ms Hand.
Women’s Aid Ireland said after the verdict: ‘We are in awe of the determination & bravery of Nikita Hand as she endured the civil process to seek justice for the brutality she received at the hands of Conor McGregor. We hope that the verdict today gives Nikita a sense of vindication and will help her healing and recovery.’
Metro has contacted McGregor’s representatives for comment.
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