Conor McGregor has failed in his attempt to overturn a civil court ruling that found he raped Nikita Hand. Dublin's Court of Appeal dismissed his challenge this afternoon.
The 37-year-old fighter was absent from today's proceedings, though Ms Hand attended court.
His legal team had initially planned to present new testimony from individuals who previously lived near Ms Hand.
However, McGregor's representatives abandoned this fresh evidence during the hearing. The appeal then proceeded solely on technical legal grounds.
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|Conor McGregor has failed in his attempt to overturn a civil court ruling that found he raped Nikita Hand. Dublin's Court of Appeal dismissed his challenge this afternoon
A High Court jury determined last November that McGregor was civilly liable for assaulting Ms Hand, awarding her €248,603.60 in compensation.
The withdrawn evidence came from Samantha O'Reilly and Steven Cummins, who had submitted sworn statements to the appeal court.
Ms O'Reilly claimed she had observed a physical confrontation between Ms Hand and her partner at the time.
This alleged incident supposedly occurred around the same period as the events at the Beacon Hotel.
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Ms Hand rejected these assertions, with the court hearing she described the statements from Ms O'Reilly and Mr Cummins as "lies".
Ms Hand's legal representatives argued that McGregor was effectively accepting this position by withdrawing the evidence.
Once these witness statements were abandoned, the appeal proceeded on alternative legal arguments.
The assault occurred in December 2018 at a penthouse suite in the Beacon Hotel in Sandyford, Dublin. Ms Hand brought legal action against the fighter, alleging he "brutally raped and battered" her during the encounter.
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Conor McGregor wasn't present at court on Thursday
McGregor maintained throughout the three-week High Court trial that their sexual encounter was consensual. The case concluded last November when a jury comprising eight women and four men reached their verdict.
They found McGregor civilly liable for assault, resulting in the substantial damages award to Ms Hand.
The fighter subsequently launched this appeal to challenge both the verdict and the compensation amount determined by the jury.
McGregor's remaining arguments focused on two procedural matters from the original trial.
His legal team contended that police interview recordings should have been excluded from the evidence presented to jurors.
They also challenged the wording used in jury instructions, arguing that the documentation should have explicitly referenced "sexual assault" rather than the broader term "assault" alone.
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Conor McGregor has always protested his innocence
Judge Brian O'Moore dismissed these contentions, stating there was "no fresh argument made" following the withdrawal of the witness testimony. The appeal court upheld the original verdict after examining McGregor's remaining legal challenges.
The ruling confirms the November 2024 jury decision and the €248,603.60 damages award remains in place.