Conor McGregor has issued what he says is a final statement addressing the recent civil trial where he was found liable for sexual assault following allegations first made back in 2018.
The former two-division UFC champion has taken to social media a couple of times since a jury issued the verdict following an 11-day trial where McGregor was accused of sexually assaulting a woman named Nikita Hand at a Dublin, Ireland hotel. Hand and her lawyers argued that McGregor “raped and battered” her with the 36-year-old fighter admitting that “sex with me was athletic, physical” but completely consensual.
In the end, the jury sided with Hand and ordered McGregor to pay damages totaling €248,603.60 (approx. $258,440).
On Monday, McGregor vowed to appeal the verdict but he also confessed to his infidelity after spending more than a decade in a long term relationship with his fiancée Dee Devlin, who is also the mother to his four children.
“People want to hear from me, I needed time,” McGregor wrote. “I know I made mistakes. Six years ago, I should have never responded to her outreaches. I should have shut the party down. I should never have stepped out on the woman I love the most in the world. That’s all on me.
“As much as I regret it, everything that happened that night was consensual and all the witnesses present swore to that under oath. I have instructed my legal team to appeal the decision.”
While the appeals process plays out in the courts, McGregor says he can only focus on his future now, which includes a return to fighting after his last appearance in the UFC came back in 2021.
“I can’t go back and I will move forward,” McGregor wrote. “I am beyond grateful to my family, friends and supporters all over the world who have stayed by my side. That’s it. No more. Getting back to the gym- the fight game awaits!”
Since he was initially found liable in the civil trial, McGregor continued to deal with the fallout, which included the video game Hitman cutting ties with him and removing him from all marketing campaigns where he was featured.
As for the UFC, the promotion hasn’t publicly addressed the allegations or the verdict against McGregor since the trial ended last week.
