Connect with us

MMA

‘I am an innocent man’: Conor McGregor responds to criticism about UFC return after sexual assault civil lawsuit

Published

3 months ago

on

‘I am an innocent man’: Conor McGregor responds to criticism about UFC return after sexual assault civil lawsuit

Conor McGregor once again proclaimed his innocence after he faced criticism for making his return to action at UFC 329 following a civil lawsuit in Ireland where he was found liable for a sexual assault that allegedly took place back in 2018.

As he prepares to face Max Holloway on Saturday, McGregor was asked about the backlash he's faced at home after a jury found him liable following a lawsuit filed by a woman named Nikita Hand, who accused the former UFC champion of assaulting her in a Dublin hotel. The jury sided with Hand and awarded her damages totaling £206,000 ($271,742.84).

McGregor appealed the verdict but that was also shut down by the courts.

“I am an innocent man,†McGregor said during UFC 329 media day. “I'll stand for my innocence until the day I go out. This is still a situation where I fight. There's a reason it didn't go where it went and went to a civil trial. It is what it is. It stings deep. I continue to fight.

“I know the truth. I know that lying lips are an abomination to the lord. I know that anything done in darkness will soon come to light. I trust in god that it's coming. You best believe it's coming and I look very, very forward to the day.â€

Police investigated the claims but criminal charges were never filed against McGregor.

Hand ultimately filed a civil lawsuit instead, and during testimony, she claimed that the UFC superstar “raped and battered†her during the alleged incident.

When he took the stand, McGregor claimed that the acts with Hand were consensual and while the sex was “athletic, physical,†he denied assaulting her.

While McGregor continues to vehemently deny the allegations against him, the 37-year-old fighter admitted on Wednesday that his life spiraled out of control after he achieved so much success inside and outside of combat sports.

In 2016, McGregor became the first ever simultaneous two-division UFC champion and that led to a massive boxing match being booked against Floyd Mayweather where he reportedly earned around $100 million for the fight. That was also when McGregor launched his Proper No. 12 whiskey brand, which he eventually sold alongside his partners in 2021 to Proximo Spirits for a reported $600 million price tag.

“Obviously. 2017, double weight world champion, Floyd Mayweather banked and then I launch an Irish whiskey,†McGregor said. “I didn't drink heavily at all in that time of my life. I was an athlete at the top of my game. Next thing you know, there's thousands upon thousands of bottles in my garage.

“[They'd tell me] sell this, Conor. OK, I'd leave my property with two bottles under my arm. That was it. I was caught. That's it.â€

McGregor says in recent years he's cleaned up his act and devoted himself to faith and family, which put him back on track to resume his fighting career.

“God gave me these lessons, that's it,†McGregor said. “I was trapped and caught. It is what it is. I trust in God. I trust in my journey and I trust in the truth. If the world is against the truth, then I am against the world. That is where I stand.â€

Related Topics:
Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

MMA

Dana White baffled by Max Kellerman’s Fury-Joshua claim

Published

3 hours ago

on

September 28, 2026

By

Dana White baffled by Max Kellerman’s Fury-Joshua claim
Dana
White was left bemused by Max Kellerman's explanation of his
role in the Tyson
Fury-Anthony
Joshua saga.

Fury and Joshua are scheduled to meet Dec. 11 at Principality
Stadium in Cardiff, Wales, with the bout set to stream on Netflix.
The matchup was announced by the streaming juggernaut as a
collaboration between Turki Alalshikh and White's Zuffa Boxing.
However, Joshua's camp and Eddie Hearn seemingly aren't on
board.

Dana White disputes Max Kellerman's description of his role in
Tyson Fury vs. Anthony Joshua

Kellerman claimed during the Zuffa Boxing 11 broadcast that White's
involvement isn't as a promoter but rather in an assisting role to
Alalshikh.

“Dana White's involvement in the fight, so people know, is purely
in assisting Turki Alalshikh, who has been the engine behind just
about every big fight in boxing over the last handful of years,â€
Kellerman said. “He's assisting Turki in a personal capacity, not
as a promoter.â€

White was subsequently asked about Kellerman's comments, and the

Ultimate Fighting Championship CEO revealed that he had no idea
what the analyst-commentator was talking about.

“I don't know where that came from,†White said. “That was weird.
We're promoting the fight right now. I've said 150,000 times I
don't know if I've ever known anybody who's more full of f*cking
shit than Eddie Hearn.â€

Hearn has previously emphasized that White should not be involved
in the fight, while Netflix's announcement identified the UFC boss
as a key part of the event. A press conference for Fury-Joshua is
expected to take place Wednesday, Sept. 30, although White wasn't
forthcoming about whether he plans to attend.

“I guess I'll leave that as a surprise,†White said.

Continue Reading

MMA

Sean Strickland says Nassourdine Imavov rematch is ‘almost there’

Published

4 hours ago

on

September 28, 2026

By

Sean Strickland says Nassourdine Imavov rematch is ‘almost there’
Sean
Strickland says a rematch is close to being finalized with
Nassourdine
Imavov.

Rumors have been circulating about the next
Ultimate Fighting Championship middleweight title fight, with
Strickland and Imavov potentially set to run it back. With the
UFC's annual December numbered event in Las Vegas still without a
headliner, Strickland claims that the finer details are being
ironed out before the bout can be confirmed.

Strickland says pay talks are the final hurdle before the
Imavov rematch is locked in

According to the two-time champion, the two sides are discussing
pay before the booking becomes official for UFC 335.
Strickland also took a dig at Imavov, suggesting that the Frenchman
isn't a major draw.

“We’re discussing pay now,†Strickland wrote on X. “Once that
detail is squared its locked in. The issue is no one cares about
the fake Frenchman. We’re almost there.â€

Strickland defeated Khamzat
Chimaev in a major upset to win the middleweight title for the
second time this past June. Imavov, whose most recent loss came
against Strickland in 2023, has since mounted a five-fight winning
streak against elite opposition, including victories over Caio
Borralho and Israel
Adesanya in UFC Fight Night headliners.

Continue Reading

MMA

UFC fighter calls rival a ‘clown’ after illegal knee ends ‘TUF 34’ final

Published

5 hours ago

on

September 28, 2026

By

UFC fighter calls rival a ‘clown’ after illegal knee ends ‘TUF 34’ final
Mehemmedali
Osmanli's feud with Ilimbek
Akylbek Uulu remains unresolved.

Osmanli and Akylbek Uulu clashed in the bantamweight final of “The
Ultimate Fighter 34†on Sept. 26 at Meta Apex in Las Vegas. Bad
blood developed from their time on Michael
Bisping's team at the “TUF†house, which came to a head at

UFC Vegas 121. Osmanli landed an illegal knee and Akylbek Uulu
was declared the winner via disqualification.

Mehemmedali Osmanli accuses Ilimbek Akylbek Uulu of
exaggerating the effects of his illegal knee

Osmanli landed a knee on a grounded Akylbek Uulu less than halfway
through the first round. Akylbek Uulu couldn't continue, resulting
in Osmanli's disqualification. However, Osmanli has now accused his
opponent of exaggerating the effects of the illegal strike.

Osmanli claims Akylbek Uulu initially grabbed his leg after getting
kneed and believes the Kyrgyz fighter only began exaggerating his
reaction as soon as the referee stepped in.

“He's fake,†Osmanli said on Instagram Live. “First, he take my
leg. When referee stopped, he [put on a] show, like a clown.â€

The loss was the second of Osmanli's professional career and
snapped a nine-fight unbeaten streak.


Continue Reading
Advertisement

OUR NEWSLETTER

Subscribe Us To Receive Our Latest News Directly In Your Inbox!

We don’t spam! Read our privacy policy for more info.

Trending