Conor McGregor admitted to having “vigorous, athletic and prolonged” sex with Nikita Hand, but denies raping the woman currently suing him for damages in a Dublin court. The UFC superstar testified in a civil court in Dublin on Wednesday, standing accused of rape along with another man, James Lawrence. McGregor and Lawrence both vehemently deny all wrongdoing.
The UFC star is accused of raping Ms Hand in a Dublin hotel back in December 2018, a couple of months after he lost one of the biggest UFC fights of all time against Khabib Nurmagomedov. McGregor tapped in the fourth round after the Russian got him in a neck crank.
In court on Wednesday it was put to McGregor by Ms Hand’s legal counsel John Gordon that he had put Ms Hand in a headlock and told her “now you know how I felt in the octagon.” McGregor retorted: “Your client is full of lies, everything is a lie. How anyone could believe that, how I would highlight my shortcoming? It’s a full blown lie, amongst many lies being told here.”
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Earlier in the week the jury heard that Ms Hand had sustained ‘intense’ levels of bruising on her lower neck, her chest, legs, buttocks, thighs and lower leg. She was also allegedly concerned over a tampon she had been using, which she claims had become stuck inside her. After a visit from paramedics to a house on December 10, it was decided she would be taken to a rape crisis unit. Advanced paramedic Eithne Scully testified on Tuesday that she had not “seen someone so bruised, with that intensity of bruising”.
On Wednesday, however, McGregor insisted that bruising could not have been caused by him. While he admitted having consensual sex with Ms Hand, he said: “I will tell you where she didn’t get them, from me. I would say the sex with me was athletic, physical and it was prolonged and it was in a multitude of positions.
“I had my hands on hips, buttocks, back of legs, no time did I go near her neck. At no time did I bite her, did she bite me. At no time did I scrape her, nor did she scrape me.” He also testified he had not seen Ms Hand using a tampon, and could not “feel” a tampon.
Conor McGregor denies raping Nikita Hand
Conor McGregor was flanked by his father, Tony, as he made his way to court
In his testimony, the former two-time UFC champion told the jury he had visited Krystle nightclub on the night in question and had received “a sleuth” of messages from Ms Hand, before agreeing to go and visit them on their work Christmas night out. Ms Hand at the time was working as a hair stylist, and McGregor said: “I was of the belief I was going to their party in the salon, joking about getting my hair done.”
From there, McGregor explained he – along with Ms Hand and her then-colleague Danielle Kealey – had gone to Lawrence’s house to persuade him to join them, before heading to the Beacon hotel. “I was being asked to get things and I was obliging,” McGregor continued. He then explained that Ms Hand had jumped straight into the bath fully clothed – and he had walked into the bathroom to use the toilet.
He said: “She was very boisterous, very energetic, very enthusiastic as I began zipping up my trousers after using the toilet, we began kissing and became more passionate and it took off from there. She performed oral sex on me at that moment. We were both clothed and then began to take off our clothes. It progressed very quickly.”
Conor McGregor admitted having consensual sex with Nikita Hand, who alleges he raped her
Conor McGregor will continue to give testimony on Thursday
McGregor says he fell asleep for two hours after the intercourse, but woke up to Mr Lawrence and Ms Hand holding one of his legs each and laughing. At that point he claims: “I wanted to go home but Nikita wanted to keep the party going. I wanted to leave, I had nothing left. I just walked out.”
The Irishman says he left a car for them so Ms Hand could get herself home, before adding: “[There was] not an iota of distress – from the car, lift in the bedroom, entire process, all throughout the evening.”
Both McGregor and Lawrence deny all wrongdoing. The case continues.
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