On Monday, Conor McGregor shared feelings of regret following a jury’s decision that he raped a woman, but he did not address his alleged victim directly and continued to assert his innocence.
McGregor’s remarks were made on X, just three days after he lost a civil case in Dublin regarding sexual assault. The trial, which lasted 12 days and concluded last Friday, resulted in the jury finding McGregor responsible for sexually assaulting Nikita Hand after a night of festivities in December 2018. As part of the verdict, the jury awarded Hand approximately $250,000 in damages.
In response to the verdict, McGregor shared, “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 (Hand’s) 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.”
He concluded, “I can’t go back and I will move forward. 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!”
Earlier on Monday, IO Interactive announced that McGregor’s character will be eliminated from the widely popular “Hitman” video game series in response to the jury’s verdict. McGregor was introduced to the game through a downloadable content pack released earlier this year. Although the add-on will no longer be accessible, players who have already bought it will still be able to use it.
As of now, both the UFC and Dana White have not commented on the jury’s decision made on Friday. No other brands linked to McGregor, apart from IO Interactive, have severed ties with him.
At 36 years old, McGregor has not fought in the UFC since his loss to Dustin Poirier in July 2021, during which he sustained a severe leg injury. He was slated to make a comeback against Michael Chandler at UFC 303 this past June, but had to pull out due to a toe injury he sustained during training a month prior to the fight.