Conor McGregor is currently facing trial in a civil case filed by former hair colorist Nikita Hand in Dublin High Court. Hand has accused McGregor of assault and r*pe, seeking damages from the UFC fighter. The alleged crime happened on February 9, 2018, when Hand attended a party with McGregor and James Lawrence at the penthouse suite of the Beacon Hotel.
Hand told the jury that McGregor choked her three times after she bit him to get away from him. She claimed that when she gave up, he r*ped her. During the alleged assault, Hand also claimed that McGregor recalled his submission defeat to Khabib Nurmagomedov while choking her.
Conor McGregor’s Accuser Claims He Brought Up His Defeat To Khabib Nurmagomedov During Alleged Assault
Conor McGregor is currently in court awaiting a verdict on the s*xual assault allegations against him. Nikita Hand first reported the crime in January 2019, when it made it to the headlines. According to Hand, she and her friend Danielle went to a party at the Beacon Hotel with McGregor and James Lawrence (via Irish Mirror).
Hand told the jury that when she was alone with McGregor in the penthouse suite, the UFC champion tried to assault her. She shared that she bit him really hard to get away from him and claimed that he then put his arm around her and started choking her. She told the court that she believed she was going to die and never see her daughter again. Hand narrated to the jury:
I just remember him behind me and I think I was sitting on the bed. He put his arm around my neck and choked me three times. I just froze and I couldn’t move and I couldn’t breathe. I looked at the bedpost and was thinking about my daughter. I kept thinking I was going to die and I was never going to see my daughter again.
She further alleged that McGregor pinned her down to the bed and put his entire body weight on her while continuing to choke her. She claimed that the Road House actor choked her three times, adding that the third time was “more strong” when she “just completely thought I was going to die.”
She claimed that the UFC lightweight champion was hurting her as though she had done something wrong. She shared that she gave up and “kept saying sorry” to stop him from further hurting her. She remembered that McGregor told her that it was how he felt when he had to tap out three times in the Octagon. She shared:
Then he said that’s how he felt when I was in the Octagon and I had to tap myself out three times. I just thought it was such a weird thing to say.
The tap-out mentioned by Hand was a reference to his 2018 submission defeat at the hands of Khabib Nurmagomedov. McGregor has faced submission defeats three times in his career. Before Nurmagomedov forced him to tap out in their famous UFC 229 bout, McGregor tapped out against Nate Diaz at UFC 196 in 2016. During his time with the Cage Warriors, Artemij Sitenkov forced McGregor to concede defeat in the latter’s third professional fight.
The Accusations Against Conor McGregor Could Derail His Acting Career
Nikita Hand further told the jury that she told Conor McGregor that she “wouldn’t tell anything” to anyone during the alleged assault. She claimed that at this point, he r*ped her causing bruises on her body and a scrape from her watch on her br**sts. The watch was placed as evidence in the case.
According to Hand, she didn’t want to worry her then-partner and sent him a text afterward telling him that she was “having a great time.” She shared that she made a statement at the Crumlin garda station on January 5, 2019. It was also brought up in court that the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) decided in 2020 not to initiate charges against McGregor.
She told DPP at the time in a letter that she was “shocked and very disappointed” at the decision. DPP responded that there was “insufficient evidence to prosecute.” The DPP stated that it was not a question of who the “prosecutors believe” but “the strength of the evidence to secure conviction.”
Regardless of the outcome of the case, the details of the allegations might’ve tainted the chances of him returning to Hollywood. He was the highest-paid first-time actor when he secured a $5.5 million paycheck for Road House (via Good Morning Britain). Fans await to hear more on the case as it will continue in court on Thursday.
