Mixed martial arts fighter Conor McGregor lost an appeal in Ireland on Thursday over a civil court verdict last year awarding damages to a woman who accused him of rape.
Three judges at Dublin’s Court of Appeal struck out all of McGregor’s appeal grounds, 36.
In November, jurors at Dublin’s High Court awarded Nikita Hand, 35, about 250,000 euros ($258,000) in damages after she claimed McGregor raped her in a hotel in the Irish capital in 2018.
The court heard claims that McGregor “brutally raped and battered” Hand. The Irish sports star has stated that they had consensual sex.
However, Hand lost an assault claim against a second man.
Following the November verdict, McGregor was forced to pay the whole cost of the case, which is expected to be over 1.5 million euros ($1.58 million).
He challenged the jury’s verdict, requesting a retrial in the civil case against him.
McGregor, a prominent member in the Irish anti-immigrant movement who met with US President Donald Trump at the White House on Saint Patrick’s Day in March, did not appear in court during the month-long appeal hearings.
His defence team claimed that judicial errors happened during the original trial, particularly in how he was cross-examined.
Hand told reporters after the verdict that the appeal had “retraumatized” her but that she can now “finally move on and try to heal.”
“To every survivor out there, I know how hard it is, but please don’t be silenced; you deserve to be heard, and you also deserve justice,” she said.
McGregor, nicknamed “The Notorious,” is one of the most well-known figures in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) mixed martial arts circuit, having previously held the featherweight and lightweight championships.
The Irishman was sued in a US court in January on charges of sexual assault at an NBA game in Miami in 2023.
He has stated his intention to run in Ireland’s presidential election this year.
The poll to elect the country’s next president—a mostly ceremonial job with little executive power—must take place by mid-November, but he faces a number of significant obstacles to being on the ballot.
