McGregor appeals verdict in sexual assault lawsuit

Conor McGregor is appealing the verdict found against him in a sexual assault lawsuit in Dublin last year.

According to the BBC, McGregor filed the appeal Friday. A jury found the UFC star liable in the case in November. The High Court in Dublin ordered McGregor to pay the complainant 248,000 euros (around $257,000) and her legal fees. McGregor, 36, immediately vowed to appeal the court’s decision.

The lawsuit accused McGregor of sexually assaulting the complainant in a hotel room in December 2018, two months after his high-profile loss to Khabib Nurmagomedov in a UFC title fight. According to reports, the woman accused McGregor of choking her and making her fear for her life. McGregor, who has faced no criminal charges related to the incident, has said he and his accuser had consensual sex.

Several companies cut financial ties with McGregor following the verdict, including Proper No. 12, the whiskey brand McGregor helped found in 2018.

McGregor is facing another civil lawsuit for sexual battery in Florida, stemming from an alleged incident at a 2023 NBA Finals game in Miami. The woman in that case, described as a 49-year-old resident of Miami-Dade County, alleges McGregor sexually assaulted her in a bathroom at Game 4 of the Heat’s NBA Finals series against the Denver Nuggets. McGregor did not face any criminal charges for that alleged incident either.

McGregor (22-6) became the first fighter in UFC history to ever hold two championships simultaneously in 2016. He has not fought since he suffered a broken leg in a TKO loss to Dustin Poirier in July 2021. He was scheduled to return to competition last June but withdrew from a fight against Michael Chandler due to an injured toe.