Conor McGregor has lost his appeal against his conviction for sexually assaulting Nikita Hand. At Dublin's Court of Appeal, three judges rejected his appeal on all counts.Back in November 2024 Dublin's High Court found McGregor civilly liable for assaulting Hand, ordering him to pay her €250,000 ($395,578) and €1.3 million ($2 million) in legal fees.According to MMA News, McGregor's legal team were granted the appeal because they argued key elements had unjustly influenced the jury. Those key elements — his statements to police during interviews, they claimed had prejudiced proceedings..His lawyer also took issue with particular phrasing addressed to the jury on their "issue paper." This included asking them whether McGregor had "assaulted" rather than "sexually assaulted" Hand. His lawyer says this was against the trial judge's instructions. Hand made a statement after the ruling saying, "this experience has retraumatized me over and over again.""To every survivor, I know how hard it is but please don't be silenced." "You deserve to be heard, and you also deserve justice.""I can finally try to move on," she finished. .McGregor is still involved in a separate civil lawsuit stemming from allegations he sexually assaulted an unnamed woman during the NBA finals game in 2023. The plaintiff is allegedly pursuing $75,000 in damages along with additional compensation.McGregor is set to make a return at a UFC event on the White House lawn in July 2026, and has re-entered the UFC's drug testing pool.
