Mixed martial arts star McGregor says sexual assault allegations ‘lies’

DUBLIN: Irish mixed martial arts fighter Conor McGregor denied sexually assaulting a woman in 2018 in a Dublin court on Wednesday and said the civil case against him and another man was “full of lies”.

Plaintiff Nikita Hand alleges McGregor sexually assaulted her on December 9, 2018, and that another man, James Lawrence, did the same, the court heard last week.

McGregor, 36, told the court he had “completely consensual sex” with Hand and did not force anyone to do anything against their will. He took the stand for the first time on the sixth day of the hearing.

Asked about Hand’s lawyer’s statement that he put him in an arm lock, the former UFC champion said, “Your client is full of lies. Everything is a lie.”

He also denied causing the plaintiff’s bruising. Hand’s lawyer accused McGregor of stepping so hard on his watch that there were still marks on his skin days later.

Hand’s lawyer said last week that when she was transferred to the sexual assault treatment unit the day after the alleged assault, the doctor was so concerned that he asked for photos of her injuries.

Hand said he contacted McGregor, whom he and a friend knew, after a work Christmas party. He said they were taken by McGregor to a party on the rooftop of a hotel in South Dublin, where drugs and alcohol were consumed.

She said McGregor rented her a bedroom in the attic and sexually assaulted her. Hand’s attorney, John Gordon, said Hand was on antidepressants and “high on drugs” at the time of the alleged attack.

The judge told the jury of eight women and four men that the trial was expected to last two weeks.