BREAKING NEWS: Conor McGregor Reacts to Losing Assault Case as UFC Star Quickly Escorted to Car .giang

Conor McGregor refused to provide comment after being found liable for assaulting a woman in a Dublin hotel in December 2018.

A decision on the case was delivered at Dublin High Court on Friday. A jury of eight men and four women decided he had assaulted a former hair colorist following eight days of evidence. The UFC star, 36, will now have to pay $257,000 in damages.

Mr. McGregor was quizzed by reporters and mobbed by cameras as he left court but refused to comment. Alongside his partner Dee Devlin, he was rushed into the back of a car while being asked if he had an apology to the woman at the center of the case.

• Conor McGregor rape accuser ‘had bruise on her breast, knee and knuckle’ after alleged incident
• Woman claims Conor McGregor ‘choked her three times’ and ‘feared she’d never see daughter again’

Mr. McGregor was sued by Nikita Ni Laimhin, also known as Nikita Hand, for assault. The sports star was accused of leaving her “brutally raped and battered” after an encounter in a penthouse suite at the Beacon Hotel in Dublin. Ms. Hand also sued another man, James Lawrence, for assault. The jury found that Mr. Lawrence did not assault Ms. Hand.

While McGregor refused to comment, Ms. Hand did. “I am overwhelmed by the support I have received from everybody,” she said outside of court. “I want to thank my legal team and my three barristers, they have bene amazing from start to finish.

“I want to thank the justice, the jury and all the witnesses. I want to thank the doctors, nurses and everyone at the sexual assault unit at the Rotunda assault unit, especially my own doctor.

“I want to thank the rape advice centre, I want to thank all the guards and the ambulance crew. I want to thank the men and women who have supported me throughout this trial. For every person who reached out to me, a card, email, everything, it has not gone unnoticed. Thank you, I really appreciate it so much.

“I want to thank my partner who has been so supportive for the last four years and has held my hand throughout this trial every day. I want to thank my mum and all my family and friends. I want to thank my daughter who I am most grateful for. She has given me so much strength and courage over the last six yers through this nightmare to keep pushing forward for justice. I want tot show her and every other girl and boy that you can stand up for yourself if something happens to you, no matter who the person is, and justice will be served.

“To all the victims of sexual assault, I hope my story is a reminder that you have a voice and to keep on fighting for justice. I know this has impacted my life, my daughter’s, my family and friends’ tremendously and it is something I will never forget for the rest of my life. But now that justice has been served I can now try and move on and look forward to the future with my family, friends and daughter.”

Mr. McGregor shook his head after the verdict was delivered at Dublin High Court. He testified that he never forced Ms. Hand to do anything against her will and claimed she fabricated the allegations after the two had consensual sex.

John Gordon, Ms. Hand’s attorney, said Mr McGregor was angry about a fight he had lost two months earlier and took it out on his client. “He’s not a man, he’s a coward,” Mr. Gordon told the jury. “A devious coward and you should treat him for what he is.”

Mr. McGregor allegedly put Ms. Hand in a chokehold several times and later told her: “Now you know how I felt in the octagon where I tapped out three times” – the court heard. It was a reference to a defeat he suffered in UFC.

Ms. Hand had to take several breaks during her testimony, in which she claimed Mr. McGregor threatened to kill her. “He let me go and I remember saying I was sorry, as I felt that I did something wrong and I wanted to reassure him that I wouldn’t tell anyone so he wouldn’t hurt me again,” she told the court.

Police investigated Ms. Hand’s complaint, but prosecutors did not bring charges due to insufficient evidence and a conviction seeming unlikely. Mr. McGregor claims Ms. Hand never said “no” during sex and insisted she was lying.

“It is a full blown lie among many lies,” Mr. McGregor said about the chokehold allegation. “How anyone could believe that me, as a prideful person, would highlight my shortcomings.”

Mr. McGregor’s attorney, Remy Farrell, also told the jury: “You may have an active dislike of him, some of you may even loathe him – there is no point pretending that the situation might be otherwise. I’m not asking you to invite him to Sunday brunch.”

Mr. McGregor later wrote on X: “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.”